The Dragon King
by TheSavageMan100
Summary: The fourth of Fairy Tail's Disney Parody Series, based on The Lion King. Natsu is the young prince of Dragon Rock, guided by his father Igneel on the path to becoming king. But his scheming uncle Acnologia wants the throne for himself. Will Natsu embrace his royal destiny before the Dragon Lands are doomed to extinction?
1. The Circle of Life

**Author's Note  
** _Hello, y'all, TheSavageMan100 here, and a Merry Christmas to all of you! To celebrate my most favorite holiday of the year, I bring you the latest installment in Fairy Tail's Disney Parody series, The Dragon King! My personal favorite and one of the Big Four of the Disney Renaissance next to The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, this is a perfect opportunity to Fairy Tail-ize it. So please enjoy and remember to review, share, and like!_

 _Natsu is the young prince of Dragon Rock, guided by his father Igneel on the path to becoming king. But his scheming uncle Acnologia wants the throne for himself. Will Natsu embrace his royal destiny before the Dragon Lands are doomed to extinction?_

 **DISCLAIMER:** All rights belong to Disney, Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, and Bridge. Please support the official release.

* * *

It was a warm summer morning in the great Dragon Lands, and the birds were chirping loudly as they flew across the large vast plains. Suddenly, the large orange sun rose slowly over the horizon, signifying the dawn of a new day.

Male Singer: **_Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba_**

Background Singers: **_Sithi uhhmm ingonyama_**

Every animal, big and small, raised their heads and heard the great call that stretched over the winds.

Male Singer: **_Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba_**

Background Singers: **_Sithi uhhmm ingonyama  
Ingonyama_**

Male Singer: **_Siyo nqoba_**

Background Singers: **_Ingonyama_**

Immediately, the animals prepared themselves and made a very important trek over to the very center of the Dragon Lands, the great Dragon Rock. For news has spread that the king and queen had given birth to a baby dragon, and a large ceremony was being held to honor the new heir to the throne.

Background Singers: **_Ingonyama nengw' enamabala  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Sitha ngqwa!)  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Eshe!)  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Sitha ngqwa!)  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala_**

Female Singer: **_From the day we arrive on the planet  
And blinking, step into the sun  
There's more to see than can ever be seen  
More to do than can ever be done_**

 ** _There's far too much to take in here  
More to find than can ever be found  
But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky  
Keeps great and small on the endless round_**

By mild morning, the animals had gathered in Dragon Rock, the enormous rock formation located at the center of the vast Dragon Lands. They averted their attentions towards the pointed peak at the top, eagerly waiting to see the king, as well as the new heir.

Soon, the King of Dragon Rock, Igneel, emerged from the cave and waved to the animals below, who erupted into cheers and screeches of joy. Looking up, Igneel watched as a flock of birds led by a hawk with long crimson hair flew towards the top peak at great speed and landed before the Dragon King. The birds bowed respectfully towards Igneel, in which he replied with a gentle smile. The leading hawk's name was Erza Scarlet, the king's advisor.

 ** _It's the Circle of Life  
And it moves us all_**  
 ** _Through despair and hope  
Through faith and love_**

Just then, some animals moved aside, allowing a certain someone to go through. Walking slowly towards the top was the shaman of the Dragon Lands, Makarov Dreyar, a wise old mandrill with a thick white mustache and the outer rims of his bald head containing white hair, and holding a stick with rattling coconuts. He had come to give his blessing to Igneel's newborn son. Once Makarov had climbed Dragon Rock and was in front of Igneel, they both hugged, glad to see two old friends together on such a good occasion.

 ** _Till we find our place  
On the path unwinding_**  
 ** _In the Circle  
The Circle of Life_**

Igneel then led Makarov over to his mate, a female dragon with white scales, her head and neck surrounded by white fur, and her feet resembling bird talons. Her name was Grandeeney, queen of Dragon Rock. The white dragon pulled back her arms slightly, revealing a small salmon baby dragon with salmon spiked hair— the newborn son, Natsu. Nuzzling the baby dragon in her arms, Grandeeney smiled sweetly and licked her son's forehead.

With a hearty chuckle, Makarov shook his staff, rattling the coconuts near the baby dragon, who tried to catch them with his little claws. The wise mandrill then took out a blue fruit and split it in half, dipping his finger with juice and marking Natsu's forehead with it as a ceremonial crown. To complete the offering, Makarov picked up some sand and sprinkled it all over Natsu's forehead, a symbol of insight, guidance, and courage. The sand, however, caused the little dragon to sneeze, and Igneel and Grandeeney smiled.

Finally, Makarov picked up the baby dragon and ascended to the point of Dragon Rock with Igneel and Grandeeney following. Once he reached the point, he held up Natsu towards the sky as a mighty wind blew down upon them. The animals below erupted into cheers and applause as they beheld Dragon Rock's future king for the first time.

Female Singer: **_It's the Circle of Life_**  
 ** _And it moves us all  
Through despair and hope  
Through faith and love_**

As Makarov held Natsu high for all to see, the winds parted the clouds to reveal the bright rays of the sun. Sunlight shone brightly down upon the young prince and mandrill as Igneel and Grandeeney stood beside them. Below, all of the animals bowed respectfully before the newborn dragon.

 ** _Till we find our place_**  
 ** _On the path unwinding  
In the Circle  
The Circle of Life_**

It was a special day indeed, for in the future, Igneel's heir will rise as the new king of Dragon Rock.

However, not everybody was happy for the celebration.

* * *

Meanwhile in a cave near Dragon Rock, a field mouse with pink neck-length hair and a tail resembling a crimson-colored flame on her back, named Mattan Ginger, emerged from a hole and began scourging the area for food. As if by instinct, she paused, sniffed the air, and sensing something approaching, Mattan attempted to flee, only for a black claw to swoop down and grab her. Lifting the claw up, the owner was a mastodonic dragon with a body as black as the night, decorated by spiraling blue markings.

The dragon's name was Acnologia, Igneel's younger brother who sat somberly with the whimpering mouse on his claw. Unlike everyone else in the Dragon Lands, Acnologia was the only one not celebrating the birth of the new prince. Instead, he isolated himself in his private cave, and right now, he was looking disdainfully at Mattan, who squirmed between his sharp nails.

"Life's not fair, is it?" Acnologia asked Mattan. "You see, I… Well, I shall never be king." He allowed Mattan to run all over his claw and she tried to jump away, but he grabbed her and continued, "And you shall never see the light of another day." He snickered evilly, "Adieu…"

He then lifted the mouse towards his mouth when a stern female voice interrupted him, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" That voice belonged to Erza, the king's advisor who placed her wings on her hips with a displeased look.

Placing his claw down with Mattan still trapped in it, Acnologia sighed exasperatedly, "What do you want? Is there any reason you've decided to intrude upon my private place?"

"I've come here to announce that King Igneel is on his way," Erza answered with a bow, before she added sternly, "So you'd better have a good excuse for missing the ceremony this morning."

Acnologia was so annoyed; he failed to keep his hold on Mattan, who successfully squirmed free. Mattan cried, "Free at last! Now I gotta search for more food before I run back home to Twilight Ogre!" With that, she ran out of the cave.

Acnologia growled, "You see what you did, Erza? You made me lose my lunch."

Erza replied, "Just wait until the king arrives. You'll lose more than that when he gets through with you. He was not happy that you weren't there at the ceremony. In fact, he's madder than an Edolas Legion with a hernia."

"Oooooh… I quiver with fear!" Acnologia said sarcastically, before he suddenly grinned sinisterly and bared his sharp teeth at Erza, making her sweat nervously.

"N-N-Now, Acnologia," Erza backed away. "D-don't look at me that way." She then screamed, " **HEEEEELLLLLP!** " She attempted to fly away, but it was too late as Acnologia snapped his jaws in front of the crimson-haired hawk, trapping her in his mouth. He was about to chew the poor defenseless bird, until…

"Acnologia!" a male voice boomed. Acnologia turned to see Igneel standing at the cave entrance, looking stern. "Drop her," he ordered.

"Impeccable timing, Your Majesty," Erza piped up from Acnologia's mouth. "I was about to snap his intestines with my bare wings." With a scowl, Acnologia spat Erza out, the crimson-haired bird covered with saliva.

"Why, if it isn't my big brother, descending from on high to mingle with the commoners," Acnologia said sarcastically with a big smile. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Grandeeney and I didn't see you at the presentation of Natsu," Igneel answered.

"That was today?" Acnologia asked with fake surprise. "Oh, I feel simply _awful!_ " On 'awful', he scraped his claws on the wall like nails scraping chalkboard, causing Erza to cringe and briefly go deaf, before she cleaned her ears. He added with a smirk, "Must've slipped my mind."

Erza snapped at Acnologia, flying near his face, "Yes, well, as slippery as your mind is, as the king's younger brother, _you_ should have been first in line!"

"I _was_ first in line," Acnologia seethed. "I was intended to be the next heir to the throne by law. That is, until that little _salmon runt_ was born."

"That 'salmon runt' is my son," Igneel clarified. "And your future king."

Acnologia said sarcastically, "You should excuse me while I go and practice my curtsy." He turned to leave the cave.

"Don't turn your back on me, Acnologia!" Igneel warned.

Acnologia looked back and said snidely, "Oh, no, Igneel. On the contrary, it was _you_ shouldn't turn your back on _me._ "

Insulted, Igneel gave a loud roar and jumped in front of Acnologia, breathing red flames from his mouth. " **Is that a challenge?!** " he asked threateningly.

Acnologia didn't flinch at Igneel's rage for a second, as he continued maintaining his calm demeanor. "Temper, temper. I wouldn't dream of challenging you," he grinned.

"Pity," Erza said spitefully. "Why not?"

"Well, as far as the brains go, I got the dragon's share," Acnologia told Erza. "But when it comes to brute strength…" He looked at Igneel, before he added with a shrug, "I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool. Thus, it makes no sense for me to fight you."

"Wimp," Erza mumbled to herself.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to quench my thirst at the watering hole. I'll see you again later… _brother._ " The last word was growled with such conviction, that it would've made most dragons recoil. Igneel was not. Instead, he just gave another glare as his younger brother strode out of his cave to other business.

Erza assured Igneel, "Don't let him get to you, Your Majesty. There is a dark side in every family. Two in mine, actually, for some reason." She flew up and perched herself on Igneel's shoulder, "And they always manage to ruin special occasions."

Igneel wondered with a sigh, "What am I going to do with him? I can never tell if my younger brother is sincere or not. It worries me."

"It's a shame you promised your mother you would look after Acnologia," Erza replied. "Otherwise, he'd make a very handsome throw rug by now."

"Erza!" Igneel chided in an amused tone.

"No, I'm serious," Erza smiled back. "Just think, whenever he gets dirty, you could take him out and beat him." The two laughed out loud as they proceeded out of the cave.

* * *

Morning had passed and Makarov arrived back to his baobab tree home, much to the happiness of his apprentices.

"Master Makarov!" Makarov's apprentice, a white-haired monkey named Mirajane Strauss, greeted. "Welcome back."

"It's great to be back," Makarov smiled as he handed his coconut stick to Mirajane and her siblings, Elfman and Lisanna.

"We've been waiting for you, Master. We've set up dinner for you while you're at Dragon Rock the whole morning," Lisanna informed.

"I heard Igneel's new baby dragon is manly!" Elfman added.

"Dragons are always manly, Elfman," Makarov chuckled. "And dinner sounds delightful. But first, I have certain duties to attend to. Make sure when I get to the dining place, there's a plate of delicious fruits waiting for me!"

"We will," Mirajane nodded. "And take care."

Makarov then entered a hole in the baobab tree and closed the leaves surrounding it. Inside the large magnificently decorated place were markings of past kings of Dragon Rock dating back many centuries and generations.

"Hello there, old friends," Makarov said to the markings. "I have a new addition to add to the tree."

He chanted in another language and created a painting of a baby dragon. Standing back to admire his work, Makarov grabbed a bowl of red coconut juice and used his thumb to smudge the ceremonial crown over the baby dragon's head to symbolize it.

"Young prince Natsu," Makarov said, looking at the painting. "I have a feeling that you will be a king like no other." He added with a chuckle.


	2. Life's Lessons

Years had passed and Prince Natsu had grown into a strong, healthy, and very active young dragon. Like his father, he was a natural born Fire Dragon and had a healthy curiosity of the world around him, which Igneel greatly encouraged.

One morning, Natsu got up earlier than usual, for his father had promised to give him a tour of the lands that surrounded Dragon Rock. Natsu always loved spending time with Igneel, and although he had seen the lands surrounding Dragon Rock, he hadn't seen the lands beyond their borders. Natsu was so excited that he was up before the sun even peaked over the horizon.

He ran up the edge of Dragon Rock, looking on in anticipation, before he rushed down the hall and into the cave where other dragons of different types: Fire, Ocean, Sky, Lightning, Rock, White, Shadow, and Iron among others, were sleeping.

"Dad! Dad!" Natsu shouted. "C'mon, Dad! We gotta go! Wake up!"

By accident, he bumped into a White Dragon named Weisslogia, who grunted, "Oof!"

"Oops. Sorry, Weisslogia," Natsu chuckled apologetically.

The young salmon dragon arrived at one corner of the cave, where Igneel and Grandeeney slept serenely alongside a little white dragon nuzzled in Grandeeney's shoulders. The white dragon with long dark blue hair in question was named Wendy, Natsu's little sister who had been born a few years after he was born.

"Dad? Come on, get up," Natsu whispered. "Dad? Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" He kept repeating the same words, which woke up Wendy briefly, before she groaned and covered her ears, trying to go back to sleep.

"Could you please be quiet?" Wendy groaned. "I'm sleeping…"

On the other hand, Grandeeney slowly stirred awake and mumbled to Igneel, "Your son is awake."

Igneel, still trying to sleep, mumbled back, "Before sunrise, he's _your_ son."

"Dad? Dad! Come on, Dad! Dad!" Natsu pestered as he tugged on Igneel's ear, but lost his grip and yelped as he slipped and bumped into a wall. "Ow!" Natsu moaned, rubbing his head. Getting frustrated, he rammed his head onto Igneel's stomach.

"Oof!" Igneel gasped. "Natsu, really! The sun hasn't even risen."

"But you said we're going to tour the whole Dragon Lands today! Bright and early!" Natsu insisted. "You promised!"

Seeing the impatient look on his son's face, Igneel complied, "Okay, okay. I'm up. I'm up."

"Alright!" Natsu shouted excitedly as he headed out the cave.

Igneel stretched his body and yawned, with Grandeeney following suit. She said, "Our son sure can be persuasive when he wants to be."

"YOUR son, remember?" Igneel stated.

"Not anymore," Grandeeney replied, pointing outside the cave as the sun rose in the distance. She then smiled smugly at her mate, who chuckled in amusement. "We'd best on our way as well." She turned to the sleeping baby dragon, "Wake up, Wendy."

In response, Wendy stretched her body and yawned with a cute, adorable tone. As she rubbed her eyes, clearing out the last bits of sleep, she could only smile at her big brother waving a claw with his image reflected by the rays of the sun. "Hi, Wendy!" he called.

"Hi, Natsu!" Wendy waved back.

* * *

The four gathered outside the cave minutes before Natsu's much awaited tour of the Dragon Lands.

"Now, be careful out there," Grandeeney said, nuzzling Natsu. "Stay with your father and listen to everything he says. And don't forget to wash your scales at the river when you're done."

"Sure, Mom," Natsu complied. Grandeeney smiled and hugged Natsu tight before planting a lick on his head. Natsu flinched a bit, but nonetheless returned her hug. She then watched proudly as Natsu followed Igneel to the top of Dragon Rock, with Wendy alongside her.

"Am I gonna go on a trip around the Dragon Lands too, Mom?" Wendy asked.

Grandeeney smiled, "When you're old enough, sweetie. Someday, you'll get to explore the whole Dragon Lands all by yourself."

Wendy's only reply was a giggle.

* * *

Natsu and Igneel were on top of the rock, their eyes giving a perfect aerial view of the surrounding lands brightened by a swift sunrise. Although Natsu had seen parts of the Dragon Lands before, it always amazed him at how naturally beautiful his kingdom looks like, especially at daybreak.

"Look, Natsu," Igneel said, gesturing to the vast landscape. "Everything you see here before you, everything the light touches, is our kingdom."

"Wow," Shining Armor said in amazement.

"A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun," Igneel went on. "One day, Natsu, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king."

Natsu asked, "And this will all be mine?"

Igneel nodded with a smile, "Everything. From the smallest winding river to the tallest mountain. The animals of the Dragon Lands are the kingdom's most precious assets. They will treat you with the same respect and kindness you give them."

"Everything the light touches…" Natsu fantasized, looking at the landscape once more, until he noticed one particular place on the edge of the lands smothered in shadow. "What about that shadowy place?"

Igneel walked over to Natsu. Laying eyes on the dark place, he explained sternly, "That is the region of Tartaros. It's a dangerous place beyond our borders, full of shady and questionable creatures. You must never go there, Natsu."

"Why not?" Natsu asked in puzzlement. "I thought a king could do whatever he wants."

Igneel explained, "Oh, there's more to being a king than getting your way all the time."

Natsu's eyes widened in excitement, "There's more?"

Igneel chuckled as he began to walk off, "Come. We have a lot more to see."

* * *

The two dragons soon walked around a field, where Natsu and Igneel were met with many admiring and grateful animals, from goblins to buffalos.

"Good morning, King Igneel!" a girl goblin named Jenny Realight waved.

"Good morning, young lady!" Igneel bowed to her.

"Great to see you, Your Majesty," three antelopes named Hibiki Lates, Eve Tearm, and Ren Akatsuki greeted.

Igneel chuckled, "Same to you."

"King Igneel!" called the leader of the buffalos named Jura Neekis greeted. "How are things?"

Igneel answered, "Very well, Wise Buffalo Jura."

Natsu admired, "Wow. Those animals really like you, Dad."

"As I told you before, they will treat you with the same respect and kindness you give them," Igneel explained. "Everything you see, Natsu, the animals and plant life, exist together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures— from the crawling ant to the milk-dairying cattle."

Natsu asked, "But Dad, don't we eat the cattle? Cows are dragons' favorite food."

"Yes, Natsu, but let me explain," Igneel went on. "When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the cattle and other plant-eaters eat the grass. And so, we are all connected in the great Circle of Life."

Just then, a certain hawk with crimson hair flew her way to Igneel and Natsu, and stood on a rock in front of them. She greeted the king of Dragon Rock, "Good morning, sire!"

"Good morning, Erza," Igneel greeted back. "This is a pleasant surprise. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

Erza explained, "I arrived with my friends Shô, Wally, Millianna, and Simon ahead of schedule. The Grand Bird Race doesn't start until tomorrow morning. Putting that aside, I've come here to check in with the morning report."

Igneel smiled back, "Fire away!"

Erza began, "The buzz from the bees is that the leopards are in a bit of a spot…"

Of course, Igneel wasn't paying any attention as he said, "Oh, really?"

While Erza was continuing her report, a grasshopper named Bora appeared, jumping around. Seeing the grasshopper, Natsu smirked mischievously. After readying himself, he pounced at Bora, only for him to move out the way, causing him to miss.

Bora exclaimed, "Oh, crud!"

Erza continued rambling, not noticing that neither Igneel nor Natsu was paying much attention, "And the baboons are going ape over this. Of course, the giraffes are acting like they're above it all…"

Noticing what Natsu was doing, Igneel asked, "What are you doing, son?"

"Pouncing," Natsu answered, after seeing that he missed his pounce on Bora again.

"I'm outta here!" Bora cried as he hopped away.

Igneel smiled mischievously, "Let an old pro show you how it's done."

"The tick birds are pecking on the elephants," Erza went on. "I told the elephants to forget about it, but they can't."

"Erza, would turn around?" Igneel asked.

"Yes, sire," Natsu complied, and she turned around and continued her report, "The cheetahs are hard up, but I always say…"

"Stay low to the ground," Igneel whispered to Natsu.

"Cheetahs never prosper," Erza elaborated, unaware of what was going on.

"Okay, stay low to the ground," Natsu whispered in compliance. "Got it."

Just then, Erza realized something was amiss, "What's going on?"

"A pouncing lesson," Igneel answered.

"Oh, very good, pouncing," Erza nodded, until she realized that by 'pouncing lesson', she was about to be the main target. " **POUNCING?!** " She turned around and exclaimed, "You can't be serious!" But Igneel smirked and made a 'turn around' gesture with his paw. "This is so humiliating," Erza grumbled.

Igneel whispered to Natsu, "Try not to make a sound."

"What are you telling him, King Igneel?" Erza asked as she turned around, only to find that Igneel and Natsu were seemingly gone. "King Igneel?" she called. "Master Natsu?"

Suddenly, Natsu pounced at the defenseless crimson-haired hawk, pinning her to the ground and scaring the living daylights out of her as Igneel laughed heartily.

"Very good, Natsu!" Igneel said proudly. He turned to Erza, "Are you alright, Erza?"

Erza rolled her eyes in the dirt, "Just dandy, sire…"

As Natsu rejoined with Igneel, a mole with black hair with a slightly outlined widow's peak named Mest Gryder emerged from the ground. He called, "Lady Erza! I must speak with you!"

Recovering, Erza asked in exasperation, "Yes, Mest? What is it?"

Mest reported, "I bring news from the underground city of Era."

Meanwhile, Igneel instructed Natsu, "Now, this time—"

"Sire!" Erza interrupted in an urgent tone. "Etherious! In the Dragon Lands! They're causing havoc at the Galuna River! Skiadrum and Metalicana are currently engaging them, and they're requesting your help!"

Igneel narrowed his eyes in concern and said, "Then we haven't a moment to lose." He turned to Erza, "Erza, take Natsu home."

Erza bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Aw, Dad, can't I come?" Natsu pouted.

"No, son," Igneel said sharply. He stretched his wings and flew up into the sky, and immediately set off towards the Galuna River.

Watching as his father disappeared into the sky, Natsu shook his head and frowned, "It's not fair. I never get to go anywhere."

Erza assured with a smile, "Don't worry, young master. One day, you will be king. Then you can chase those slobbering mangy stupid Ethernano-crafted demons from dawn until dusk. But for now, let's head back to Dragon Rock. I'm sure Lucy is looking forward to see you."

Natsu's annoyance disappeared at the mention of Lucy, the name of his best friend since childhood. Nodding, he and Erza headed back to Dragon Rock.

* * *

Back at Dragon Rock, Acnologia was pacing on an overhanging rock ledge, before he kicked an old bone off the edge. He looked to the right to see his nephew, Natsu, arriving at the ledge.

"Hey, Uncle Acno!" Natsu greeted by Acnologia's nickname.

Acnologia looked up and sighed in annoyance, "Hello, Natsu."

"Uncle Acno, guess what?" Natsu appeared in front of him.

Acnologia rolled his eyes, "I _despise_ guessing games."

"I'm gonna to be king of Dragon Rock," Natsu said smugly.

"Oh, goody…" Acnologia said sarcastically.

"My dad just showed me the whole kingdom," Natsu said greedily. "And I'm gonna rule it all!"

"Yes," Acnologia said, looking uninterested. "Well, forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back, you know." He flopped down onto his side.

Natsu went over to Acnologia and asked, "Hey, Uncle Acno? When I'm king, what'll that make you?"

"A monkey's uncle," was Acnologia's deadpan reply.

Natsu couldn't help but laugh, "You're so weird."

"You have no idea," Acnologia hid his frustration with a smile, before he got up. "So, your father showed you the whole kingdom, did he?"

Natsu nodded, "Everything."

Acnologia asked, "He didn't show you what's beyond that rise on the northern border?"

"Well, no," Natsu shook his head. "He said I can't go there."

"And he's absolutely right!" Acnologia nodded. "It's _far_ too dangerous. Only the bravest dragons go there."

Natsu looked curiously at his uncle, "Well, I'm brave. And a really good fire-breather, too. What exactly is out there?"

Acnologia shook his head, "I'm sorry, Natsu. But I simply can't tell you."

Natsu pouted, "Why not?"

"Natsu, my dear boy. Try to understand. I'm only looking out for the well-being of my favorite nephew," Acnologia said, patting the salmon dragon's head.

"Well, there's Wendy," Natsu corrected.

"Ah, yes," Acnologia smiled. "I wouldn't forget your sister, who is also my niece."

Natsu replied skeptically, "But Wendy gets pretty nervous around you for some reason. And she never told me, Mom, or Dad why."

"Oh, she has her reasons," Acnologia nodded. "But it's all the more reason for me to be protective. Besides, a Sun Giant graveyard is no place for a young prince— Oops!" He quickly covered his mouth with his paw.

"A Sun Giant what?" Natsu asked, his curiosity peaked. "Whoa!"

"Oh dear, I've said too much…" Acnologia exclaimed, faking dismay. "Well, I suppose you would've found out sooner or later, you being so clever and all."

"You really think so?" Natsu asked.

"Of course," Acnologia said, pulling his nephew into a hug. "Just do me one favor, Natsu. Would you? Promise me you'll never venture out to that _dreadful_ place."

Natsu thought it over and nodded, "No problem."

"There's a good boy," Acnologia grinned, nudging Natsu away. "Now you run along now and have fun." Natsu began to leave before Acnologia added, "And remember… it's our little secret."

As Natsu left, an evil smirk formed on Acnologia's face. He knew the young prince would not be able to resist visiting the Sun Giant graveyard. With a dark place full of murderous, bloodthirsty creatures, as well as a few of his own personal contacts, Natsu was sure to meet his end.


	3. I Just Can't Wait to Be King

Outside Dragon Rock, Grandeeney and a golden dragon named Layla Heartfilia were sitting by two rocky platforms, watching their children play a game of dragon vs. dragon.

"I'm gonna get you this time, Wendy!" cried Layla's daughter, a young yellow dragon with blonde hair named Lucy, as she took a swipe at Wendy with her claws.

"In your dreams!" Wendy responded with a block. "I've been working out all day!"

Grandeeney remarked, watching Wendy parry Lucy back towards a rock, "Wendy sure has gotten better at self-defense. Even at her age, my little girl has improved a lot."

Layla replied, "Of course she has. And I'm very pleased to see that Lucy improved as well."

"Ha! Gotcha!" Lucy cried as she pinned Wendy down to the ground. "Looks like I win."

"Try this!" Wendy shouted, and inhaling a fair amount of air into her nostrils, she breathed a gust of wind towards Lucy's chest. Lucy barely had time to dodge as the gust blew her up into the sky, causing her to scream. She then came crashing into the ground, groaning.

"No fair!" Lucy said upset. "We agreed on no dragon breathing!"

Wendy shrugged, "Sorry. It's just my reflexes."

"More like a cheap shot," Lucy grimaced, rubbing her face from dirt.

"Seems to me Wendy is doing just fine," Layla remarked.

"True," Grandeeney nodded. "But I know Wendy can do so much more. In fact, I was thinking about sending her to the Dragon Guard next summer so she can train with other Sky Dragons."

"The Dragon Guard? Next summer?" Layla asked, concerned. "Have you talked to Wendy about this?"

"Not yet," Grandeeney shook her head. "But I'm sure she'll go for the idea. I know she's eager to polish her skills."

"Okay, here we go! Time for my Wing Attack!" Wendy prepared herself as she tried to use the wind gathered around her body to swing her wings and create a gust attack. However, when she swung her wings, the gust ended blowing herself away instead. She bumped her back onto a rock and exclaimed in pain, "Ouchie!"

"Okay, you win this time," Lucy sighed. "While you're working on your Wing Attack, I'm gonna go dry off." She flew up to the rock where Layla stood, the latter beginning to lick her scales clean.

Wendy flew up to the rock where Grandeeney stood and pouted, "It's not fair. Why can't I get it right, Mom?"

"Relax, sweetie," Grandeeney assured. "You're doing well. You just need to work on your aim a bit more."

Wendy replied, "I've been exercising for days, and I still can't make a basic Wing Attack! I'm never gonna get this right."

Grandeeney smiled serenely, "Yes, you will. You just need more training. In fact, I was thinking—"

"Hey, Lucy!"

While her body was getting licked, Lucy turned and smiled widely as she watched Natsu rush down the slope. "Hi, Natsu," Lucy greeted back.

"Why, if it isn't Prince Natsu, back from his tour of the Dragon Lands," Layla smiled. "So good to see you again."

Natsu waved, "It's great to see you again, Mrs. Heartfilia. Can I talk to Lucy for a minute?"

"Sure," Layla nodded.

"Glad to see you're here, Lucy," Natsu whispered. "I just heard about this really cool place. It's a bit far, but if we leave now, we'll see it and be back before dark." He then grabbed Lucy's hand, "C'mon, let's go!"

"Natsu," Lucy pulled back, explaining through clenched teeth. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda in the middle of a bath!"

"And you're here just in time for yours," Grandeeney added, much to Natsu's alarm. He tried to escape, but the elderly white dragon caught him and began licking his salmon hair.

"Mom!" Natsu complained. "Mom, you're messing up my hair!" Sure enough, his hair was messed up with saliva. Lucy's only response was a smile, while Wendy giggled in amusement.

"You're pretty funny," Wendy remarked. "And wet, too!"

"Gee, thanks, sis," Natsu replied sarcastically, before he smoothed his scales down with his hands, "Okay, okay, I'm clean. Can I go now?"

"So where are we going?" Lucy asked. "It better not be anyplace dumb."

Natsu insisted, "No, it's really cool."

"So where is this 'really cool' place?" Grandeeney asked with a smirk.

Natsu stuttered nervously, "Oh, uh, uh…" He quickly had an idea, "At the Magnolia Waterhole."

"The waterhole?!" Lucy exclaimed. "What the heck's so great about the waterhole?"

Natsu went over to her and muttered through his teeth, "I'll show you when we get there."

"Oh, gotcha…" Lucy replied, winking at him. "Hey, Mom. Can I go with Natsu?"

Of course, Wendy caught on, and she added, "Can I go too? I want to know about this 'really cool' place Natsu mentioned."

Layla turned to Grandeeney, "What do you think, Grandeeney?"

"Well…" Grandeeney began.

"Pleeeeeeeease?" Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy begged with broad, forced grins.

Grandeeney smiled, "It's alright with me…"

The three young dragons cheered excitedly as they turned to go. At least until…

"…as long as Erza goes with you," Grandeeney finished.

The three stopped in their tracks and groaned in annoyance, as Natsu complained, "Not Erza."

* * *

A short while later, Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy were walking towards the Magnolia Waterhole with Erza leading the way. The Magnolia Waterhole was by far the largest watering hole in the Dragon Lands, and it reserves the freshest water that makes an animal's taste buds dance.

Erza instructed, "Step lively now. The sooner we get to the waterhole, the sooner we can leave."

As the crimson-haired bird led on, Lucy and Wendy lingered back with Natsu until they were out of earshot.

Lucy asked, "So where are we REALLY going?"

Natsu whispered back, "A Sun Giant graveyard."

"WOW!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Really?!" Wendy cried.

"Shh! Erza," Natsu whispered hastily, pointing at her.

"Oops," Wendy covered her mouth, quieting herself. "Sorry."

Lucy whispered, "So how are we gonna ditch the birdbrain?"

Up ahead, Erza caught sight of Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy whispering to each other, trying to come up with a plan to get Erza off their backs. Natsu suggested, "Don't worry, guys. I know how we can…"

"Oh, just look at you two," Erza remarked, landing in front of them. "Two little seeds of romance blossoming in the savannah. Your parents will be absolutely thrilled!"

Wendy asked, "What are you talking about?"

Erza grinned, "You know, with Natsu and Lucy being betrothed and all."

"Be-what?" Natsu asked.

Erza stated, "Betrothed. Intended. Affianced."

Natsu and Lucy looked at each other in confusion before looking back at Erza, "Meaning…?"

"Meaning, that one day you two are going to be married," Erza clarified.

"Yuck!" Natsu exclaimed in disgust.

"Eww!" Lucy agreed.

"I can't marry her," Natsu stated to Erza. "She's my friend!"

"Yeah, it'd be so weird," Lucy added.

Wendy interrupted, "But isn't marrying a good thing?"

Erza nodded in agreement, "Wendy's right. I'd hate to burst your bubble, but you two turtledoves have no choice. It's a tradition…" She didn't notice Natsu mimicking her, "…going back generations."

"Well, when I'm king, that'll be the first thing to go," Natsu stated.

Erza scoffed, "Please, like I would let a Fire Dragon subvert an ancient tradition. Not so long as I'm around."

"Well, in that case, you're fired," Natsu replied.

Erza shook her head, poking Natsu's nose, "Nice try, Master Natsu. But only the king can do that."

"Well, technically, he's the future king," Lucy pointed out, as she and Wendy came over.

"Yeah," Wendy nodded, thumping Erza's chest. "Which means you'll have to do what he tells you."

"Not yet, I don't!" Erza retorted, before she said to Natsu, "And with an attitude like that, I'm afraid you're shaping up to be a pretty pathetic king indeed."

"Not the way I see it," Natsu smirked. He then jumped towards Erza, making her back up as the background changes color for a song number.

Natsu: **_I'm gonna be a mighty king  
So enemies, beware!_**

Erza fell over, before she got up, looking annoyed.

Erza: **_Well, I've never seen a king of beasts  
With quite so little hair_**

Erza plucked a hair out of Natsu's head, causing him to flinch.

Natsu: **_I'm gonna be the main event  
Like no king was before_**

He then jumped down onto a log.

 ** _I'm brushing up on looking down  
I'm working on my ROAR!_**

On 'roar', he roared at Erza, causing her to fall into a mud puddle, before she got up and dried herself on what seemed to be a hanging towel.

Erza: **_Thus far, a rather uninspiring thing_**

She looked up and saw that the 'towel' was actually the ear of an elephant named Orga Nanagear. In annoyance, he smacked Erza away with his trunk, sending her skipping across the water as the three young dragons followed, skidding across it.

Natsu: **_Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_**

Erza went over to Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy and scolded, "You've a rather long way to go, young master, if you think…"

Natsu: **_No one saying do this_**

Unnoticed by Erza, Wendy made a silly face at her. "Now, when I said that…" Erza began, before she turned to Lucy and Wendy.

Lucy and Wendy: **_No one saying be there_**

It was Natsu's turn to make a face at Erza. "What I mean was…" She turned to Natsu as Lucy and Wendy both made faces at her.

Natsu: **_No one saying stop that_**

"What you don't realize…"

Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy: **_No one saying see here_**

"Now see here!" Erza yelled angrily, before she was knocked over by three ostriches. Riding on top of them were Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy.

Natsu: **_Free to run around all day_**

Erza flew off to chase them as she commented, "Well, that's definitely out."

 ** _Free to do it all my way_**

Erza flew past the ostriches until they were in front of them, not paying attention to what was approaching her.

Erza: **_I think it's time that you and I  
Arranged a heart-to-heart_**

She bumped into the backside of a rhino named Jiemma, much to the three dragons' amusement.

Lucy and Wendy: **_Kings don't need advice  
From little birdies for a start_**

Erza fell off and got onto a log, never realizing it was heading towards a waterfall.

Erza: **_If this is where the monarchy is headed  
Count me out!_**  
 ** _Out of service, out of Earth-land  
I wouldn't hang about!_**

Erza screamed as she went over the waterfall, until she flew up.

 ** _This child is getting wildly out of wing!_**

A bunch of zebras lined up on either side, as Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy walked up the corridor.

Natsu: **_Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_**

Erza tried to follow them when the zebras turned their backs with their tails lifted up, making her flinch as she used her wings like an umbrella.

Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy danced about beneath of herd of moving elephants, while Erza flew, frantically searching for the three young dragons. Natsu was then standing on the head of a giraffe named Dobengal, giving directions to a group of animals.

Natsu: **_Everybody look left_**

Erza yelped before she was trampled by the animals moving to the left. She got up, completely dazed.

 ** _Everybody look right_**

Erza was trampled again by the animals moving to the right. Natsu hopped up a ladder of giraffes' heads, before sliding down a giraffe's neck.

 ** _Everywhere you look, I'm  
Standing in the spotlight!_**

"Not yet," Erza groaned, struggling to move aside some animals, only to get squashed.

Animals: **_Let every creature go for broke and sing_**

Natsu whispered something to Risley Law the hippo, who whispered something to Dobengal, who whispered something to Rufus Lore the lemur. After Erza recovered, two monkeys named Boze and Sue grabbed her and pulled her up into the trees.

 ** _Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing  
It's gonna be King Natsu's finest fling_**

Up in the tree, Rufus, Boze, and Sue were picking bugs off Erza's head, much to her annoyance. Near the song's conclusion, Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy were standing on top of a pyramid of singing animals.

Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and Animals: **_Oh, I just can't wait to be king  
Oh, I just can't wait to be king  
Oh, I just can't waaaaaaait…_**

Suddenly, the pyramid bent over and toppled, causing animals to either fall onto each other or on the ground.

 ** _...to be king!_**

Unfortunately, Erza was at the bottom, holding up a fat rhino named Ooba Babasaama. As the animals fell off, she was trapped beneath Ooba.

"I beg your pardon, ma'am, but… GET OFF!" Erza muffled. She then called out, "Master Natsu? Lucy? Wendy?"

Of course, by the time Erza got herself free, the three dragons have already gone off to their true destination: the Sun Giant Graveyard.


	4. The Sun Giant Graveyard

After escaping from the Magnolia Waterhole, Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy traveled far into the valley and over the large plains until they were out of Erza's sight.

"Alright, it worked!" Natsu cheered. "Ditching the birdbrain sure did the trick!"

Wendy remarked, "I can't believe we actually got this far."

Lucy added, "That was a pretty awesome stunt we did back there."

Natsu nodded proudly, "Yep. I am a genius."

"Genius?" Lucy frowned. "It was my idea."

"Yeah, but _I'm_ the one who pulled it off," Natsu grinned smugly.

"With me!" Lucy shot back.

Wendy added, "All I did was add my voice to the song number we did earlier."

Lucy replied, "True, but still, I'm the one who came up with that idea!"

"Oh, yeah?" Natsu glared.

"Yeah!" Lucy nodded.

"Well… take that!" Natsu shouted, and with a mighty pounce, he tackled Lucy and the two tussled for a bit, until Lucy ended on top and had the salmon dragon pinned with her paws.

"Pinned ya," Lucy said with a smirk. "Now say it."

Natsu grunted, pushing Lucy off him, "No! Lemme up!"

Once the blonde-haired dragon turned away, feeling proud of herself, Natsu tackled her from behind, and together, they rolled down the steep hill. By the time they reached the bottom, Natsu was once again pinned firmly to the ground with Lucy on top of him.

"Pinned ya again," Lucy said smugly. "Now you have to say it."

Natsu said defiantly, "I'm not saying it!"

Wendy joined up and said, "Come on, say it! Lucy came up with the idea!"

Natsu began, "But…"

"Say it!" Lucy shouted.

Natsu sighed loudly and recited, "Lucy is the best dragon in the world, and I eat salmon fish."

Lucy smiled in satisfaction, before letting go of his arms, "Heck, yeah."

Suddenly, there was a loud eruption from the ground nearby, ejecting steam and catching Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy's attention. Once the steam cleared, the three dragons were astonished to find the skull of a Sun Giant standing on top of a ledge. The three stared for a moment, before Natsu walked over with a smile, while Lucy and Wendy cautiously followed.

Once they climbed up the edge, Natsu said, "This is it. We made it."

"Whoa…" the three said in awe. The entire graveyard seemed devoid of light and color, and the land was spread with thousands of Sun Giant skeletons – the remains of giant creatures that once resided in the faraway Village of the Sun. But one incident destroyed more than half of the Sun Giant population, and to this day, their remains were thrown into this place to inaugurate this sacred ground.

"N-N-N-Natsu?" Wendy shivered. "I-I-I-I don't l-l-l-like the l-l-looks of this p-p-place. It's r-r-really c-c-creepy."

"Yeah… isn't it great?" Natsu asked excitedly. "I told you it was worth seeing."

Lucy said, "We could get in big trouble for this. What if your dad finds out?"

Natsu assured, "I know. But no one's ever gonna find out. We take a good look around, then we'll come back not a minute later."

Lucy admired, looking around, "This has got to be the scariest, nastiest, most awesome place I've ever been to."

"Tell me about it," Wendy said, jumping slightly with a squeak when she stepped on the broken skull of a dead lemur. The three then glanced over the giant Sun Giant skull.

"That's the skull of a Sun Giant," Lucy said. "I wonder if its brains are still in there."

"There's only one way to know," Natsu walked over to the skull, "Come on, guys. Let's go check it out."

" **WRONG!** "

Unexpectedly, Erza appeared in front of Natsu with an angry expression. She demanded, "The only checking out _you_ will do will be to check out of here!"

"Aw, man," Natsu complained.

Wendy asked, "How did you find us, Erza?"

Erza answered worriedly, "It doesn't matter how! What matters is that we're leaving right now! We're _way_ beyond the boundary of the Dragon Lands!"

Natsu smirked, "Oh, look. Strawberry Cake's gettin' chicken."

Erza poked Natsu in the nose and replied, "That's Miss Strawberry Cake to you, salmon! And I have every right to be scared! This place is home to the most dangerous creatures in the land, and right now, we are all in very real danger."

"Danger?" Natsu scoffed as he moved closer to the Sun Giant skull. "I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Loud cackling echoed from inside the Sun Giant skull. Scared out of his wits, Natsu rushed back to Erza, Lucy, and Wendy. They watched as three bizarre demons, the source behind the insidious laughter, emerged out of the skull. One of them was a canine demon, the second was a spiked-protruded monster with triangles tattooed all over his body, and the last was the crossing of a frog, insect, and octopus in one being. These were called Etherious, the most vilest and vicious beasts in the Dragon Lands, and the main enemy of dragons.

"Well, well, well, Ezel," the canine Etherious began. "What do we have here?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea, Jackal," the spiked demon known as Ezel shook his head. "What do you think, Yakdoriga?"

The third Etherious, known as Yakdoriga, laughed crazily in reply to Ezel's question.

The canine demon known as Jackal guessed, "Well, the bird with red hair looks familiar, but those three little dragons in red, yellow, and white don't look like they're from around here."

"Exactly what I was thinking. A quintet of trespassers!" Ezel growled, clenching his fists.

Erza's voice cracked slightly, "And by accident, I can assure you. A little navigational error. If you let us go, I promise we won't trespass anymore." She tried flying away, but Jackal stepped on her tail, pushing her back down.

"Hey, wait a minute. I know you," Jackal looked closely at Erza. "You're Igneel's little stooge."

Erza freed herself and clarified, "Actually, I am the king's majordomo."

Meanwhile, Ezel and Yakdoriga circled around Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy. Ezel said to Natsu, "And that would make you…?"

"Prince Natsu," Natsu said defiantly. "The future king of Dragon Rock."

Jackal joined Ezel and Yakdoriga as he said, "You're quite bold with the title. But do you know what we do to kings who wander outside the safety of their kingdoms?"

Natsu scoffed, "You can't do anything to me."

Erza nervously tapped Natsu on the shoulder, "Technically, they can. We're on their land."

Natsu stated, "But Erza, you told me they're nothing but slobbering, mangy, stupid Ethernano-crafted demons."

Erza quickly covered Natsu's mouth and muttered through gritting teeth, "Ix-nay on the oopid-stay."

Unfortunately, Ezel overheard this and shouted angrily, "Who you callin' 'oopid-stay?!'"

Erza squeaked, "Not you! Definitely not you! Heavens, look at the sun, it's almost dark! We better get going!" She began trying to escort Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy away, but Jackal blocked their way.

Jackal grinned, "What's the hurry, kids? We'd _love_ for you to stick around for dinner."

Ezel nodded, "Yeah! We can have whatever's… dragon around!" He laughed to his joke, "Get it? _Dragon_ around!"

Jackal joined in, "Oh, wait, wait, wait! I got one, I got one! We gotta dragon a sandwich to eat! Whatcha think?"

The two continued laughing until Yakdoriga popped up and began gesticulating and jabbering wildly.

"What, Yak?" Jackal asked wildly. "What is it?"

Ezel looked to where Yakdoriga was pointing and said, "Hey, did we order this dinner to go?"

Jackal asked, "No, why?"

Ezel yelled, "'Cause THERE IT GOES!"

Sure enough, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and Erza were fleeing. The three dragons were far ahead as Erza tried to catch up, only to yelp as one of the Etherious grabbed her and pulled her away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy continued running through the graveyard until they stopped to catch their breath.

Lucy asked tiredly, "Did we lose them?"

"I think so," Natsu panted. "That was close."

"Wait a sec," Wendy looked around. "Where's Erza?"

Suddenly, a scream rang throughout the graveyard.

"Erza!" Natsu exclaimed. He then raced to where the scream came from.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted as she ran after him.

"Wait for us!" Wendy cried as she followed.

* * *

Elsewhere, the three Etherious had a frightened Erza near a vent of hot steam. Ezel walked the helpless bird near the vent like playing a doll and said, "And the little majordomo hawk hippity-hopped all the way to the Birdie Boiler!"

"Oh, no!" Erza shrieked as she was stuffed into the vent. "Not the Birdie Boiler!" She then let out a high-pitched painful scream as she was launched into the air like a rocket until she was out of view. The three Etherious laughed in amusement, until an angry voice caught their ears.

"HEY!" They turned to see Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy standing above them. Natsu glared, "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

"Like… you?" Jackal smiled slyly.

"Oops," Lucy and Wendy said nervously in unison.

" **Exploding Spiral!** " Jackal swung his arm forward, creating a series of explosions in the form of a spiral. The three young dragons screamed as they all ran away from the explosions, until they stopped in front of an active methane vent. The three Etherious poked their heads through the steam and shouted, "Boo!"

Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy gasped in horror at the Etherious in front of them, laughing with murderous intent. " **Tenga Goken: Onimaru!** " By crossing his arms and swinging them outward, Ezel created a large, intense shockwave in the shape of a blade capable of slicing anything in its path. The **Onimaru** attack pulsed through the ground and split it wide open, much to Natsu and the others' surprise.

The three turned and ran away as Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga gave chase, each Etherious trying to use their inhumane magic to slow them down. Their chase takes them to the skeleton of a Sun Giant, in which Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy managed to escape by sliding down the spine, before they shot off the end and landed on a hillside of bones.

The group began climbing up the bones, until Lucy turned and shouted, "Natsu!"

Natsu turned and gasped when he saw his little sister screaming and sliding down the hill of bones towards the Etherious. He quickly swooped down and scratched Jackal's cheek with his claws, giving Wendy enough time to escape. By now, Jackal was enraged at the scratch given to his cheek. He was now more determined than ever to hunt Natsu down.

At the end of the chase, Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy ran into a cave, and quickly realized that there's no way out. Seizing this chance, Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga approached and cornered the three young dragons.

Ezel grinned, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty."

Natsu looked around in a panic, trying to come up with another plan of escape. He and the others were thinking about flying up in the air to avoid the Etherious, but considering they're too young, they're not strong enough to fly yet. So, Natsu had to rely on the first thing that came to mind. Breathing with all of his might, the salmon dragon exhaled a torrent of fire from his mouth. But the fire breath was so small; it didn't reach the Etherious. This caused Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga to laugh. Frightened, Natsu stepped back as he nervously moved closer to Lucy and Wendy, the two hiding behind him.

Jackal smirked, "That's it? You think that puny little fire breath can save you? Before we have you for dinner, we'd love to see you do it again." He then added in a mocking plea, "Come on, do it again. Come on."

Narrowing his eyes, Natsu took a stance, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to breathe fire…

…and out came a full-grown, ear-piercing dragon's roar.

"Huh?" Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga said incredulously.

Suddenly, a huge wave of flames rained from the sky, burning the ground and staining the terrain with soot. From the torrent of flames, the Dragon King Igneel emerged and roared at the Etherious in front of him.

"IT'S IGNEEL! RUN!" Jackal shouted. The three Etherious immediately ran towards outside the cave, but Igneel, ever the swift and agile dragon, blocked their path and attacked the helpless demons like a ravenous wolf attacks its prey. Erza, who quickly returned to the Dragon Lands to warn Igneel of Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy's impending doom, flew over to the three and hid them safely. Soon enough, as the battle reached its end, Igneel had the Etherious cowering underneath his towering body.

Jackal begged, "Oh, please, please! Don't kill us! Uncle, Uncle!"

Ezel shouted, "We had no idea they're with you!"

Yakdoriga yelped, "Ow, ow, ow!"

" **SILENCE!** " Igneel roared at them.

Jackal yelped, "Okay, okay, we're gonna shut up right now."

Ezel added, "Calm down, we're really sorry."

"If you _ever_ come near my children again…" Igneel threatened, glaring dangerously at the Etherious.

Jackal gestured to Natsu and Wendy, "Oh, these are… these are _your_ children?"

Ezel asked, "Oh, your children?

"Did you know that?"

"No… me? I-I-I didn't know it, no. Did you?"

"No, of course not!"

"No."

Jackal and Ezel looked over to Yakdoriga, "Yak?" Yakdoriga's reply was a shivering nod.

Igneel roared again, scaring the Etherious even more.

Jackal laughed nervously, "Toodles!" The three quickly raced out of the cave like the sound of a gunshot.

Erza stood beside Igneel and gave a nod, confirming that Igneel valiantly defended his children from the Etherious, until she withered under Igneel's angry glare. After all, it was her fault that Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy got into this mess. As the three young dragons approached Igneel, Natsu noticed that his father was giving him a scowl.

Natsu attempted to explain himself, "Dad, I…"

"You deliberately disobeyed me," Igneel stated angrily.

Natsu looked down in shame, "Dad, I'm… I'm sorry."

"Let's go home," Igneel said, turning around and walking to the exit.

Natsu felt a stab of guilt as he followed his father, with Wendy and Lucy joining him.

"I thought you were very brave," Lucy whispered.

As the group made their way outside, a dark figure was standing on a ledge above them. Peering his cold, beady eyes, Acnologia watched as his nephew, his niece, and the blonde-haired dragon walked away. Disappointed at seeing his plan failing, he stretched his black wings wide and flew into the grey skies above.

It's time for a change of plans.


	5. Under the Stars

As night approached, it was an uncomfortable return back to Dragon Rock. Everyone followed Igneel in silence, including Natsu, who glanced sadly up at his father without saying a word. Upset over the trouble he caused, Natsu shamefully lowered his eyes to the ground, his younger sister and best friend sharing the same shame. Erza, on the other hand, was flying in between, staring back at the three young dragons in concern.

"Erza!" Igneel spoke out loud, breaking the silence.

Erza slowed to a halt and stood in front of Igneel, asking, "Yes, sire?"

Igneel instructed, "Take Wendy and Lucy home. I have to teach my son a lesson." His stern eyes averted to his son, who nervously ducked down.

Understanding his intentions, Erza nodded, "As you wish. I'll see you at Dragon Rock, then." She went over to the three, "Come, Wendy and Lucy." She then said to Natsu, placing her wings comfortingly on his shoulders, "Master Natsu… good luck."

Natsu watched as Erza led Wendy and Lucy back to Dragon Rock. The two waved briefly at him, while he halfheartedly waved back.

"Natsu!"

Flinching slightly at the sound of his father's voice, Natsu turned and slowly walked over to where Igneel stood. Though he heard Igneel speak while angry before, it seemed a lot scarier when it directed at him. As he walked towards Igneel, Natsu stepped into what he thought was a dragon's footprint. Looking down, he saw that he had stepped into his father's footprint, three times larger than his own. Seeing just how small and puny he really was, Natsu continued to walk in silence until he came upon Igneel, who was quietly in deep thought on a grassy hill.

Natsu timidly sat beside his father. Igneel continued to think for a few moments before finally looking at his son. He began, "Natsu, I'm very disappointed in you. Very disappointed."

Natsu replied shamefully, "I know…"

"You could have been killed!" Igneel exclaimed. "It's bad enough that you've deliberately disobeyed me, but what's even worse, you put Wendy and Lucy in danger!"

Natsu struggled to fight back tears, but was finding it very hard. He sniffled, "I just wanted to be brave like you."

"I'm only brave when I have to be," Igneel explained. "Do you really think that I enjoy fighting? That I like putting myself and others into dangerous situations?"

Natsu slightly shook his head and wiped his eyes, fighting the small bit of tears flowing down his cheeks.

Igneel continued, "Natsu, being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble. It's being able to handle trouble when it comes to you. When you are able to face problems directly despite your own fears, that is when true bravery is revealed."

Wiping off the last bit of tears, Natsu looked up in confusion, "But you're the Dragon King. The greatest Fire Dragon in the world. You're not scared of anything."

Igneel admitted, "I was today."

Natsu asked in surprise, "You were?"

"Yes," Igneel sighed, turning to his son. "I thought I might lose you and your sister."

"Oh…" Natsu nodded in understanding. "I guess even kings get scared, huh?" Igneel nodded, his frown turning into a smile. "But you know what?"

"What?" Igneel asked.

Natsu answered, "I think those Etherious were even scareder."

Igneel chuckled and smirked, "'Cause nobody messes with your dad. Come here, you!" He grabbed Natsu and started giving him a noogie.

"Oh, no, no!" Natsu exclaimed.

As Natsu struggled free, he and Igneel ran out into the field in laughter, where Natsu chased after him. They ran down the hill and towards the next one when Natsu finally managed to tackle Igneel to the ground, the latter on top of his father's head.

Natsu asked, "Dad?"

Igneel asked, "Hmm?"

"We're pals, right?"

"Right."

"And we'll always be together, right?"

Igneel paused with a concerned look at his face. Not hearing an answer, Natsu looked at his father, who knew the day would come when his son would ask him that question. Igneel had hoped Natsu would be older to understand, but he decided it was a good time to explain. Sitting up, Igneel gestured towards the night sky which was clear and had every star shining brightly.

Igneel replied, "Natsu, let me tell you something that my father told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars."

"Really?" Natsu asked, looking at the sky.

"Yes," Igneel answered. "So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you…" He paused to let this sink in, "…and so will I."

At first, Natsu was confused at Igneel's statement. Does that mean something is going to happen to his father? Nonetheless, Natsu shrugged it off, believing that he and Igneel were together and they would always have each other's backs, no matter what. Gazing up at the stars, both father and son silently prayed that the great kings of the past would protect and guide them, should the time come.


	6. Be Prepared

Back in the Etherious' residual base of Tartaros, Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga were hiding out at their usual spot in the Sun Giant Graveyard. Because of what happened earlier, the trio was upset of their failure to capture the prince of Dragon Rock and eat him for lunch, which incurred the wrath of the Dragon King upon them. So to avoid punishment, the three Etherious retreated to the underground caves where they spent time recovering from their battle wounds.

"Man, that lousy Igneel!" Ezel complained, rubbing the burn marks on his rear end. "I got burns from his fire breath; I won't be able to sit for a week!" Yakdoriga, who was sitting beside the spiked-protruded demon, couldn't help but laugh at Ezel's burns.

Ezel said angrily, "It's not funny, Yak."

Yakdoriga tried to restrain his laughter, but it was powerful enough to blow up his cheeks.

Ezel snapped, "Hey, shut up!"

Yakdoriga's laughter increased to higher levels. Growling in annoyance, Ezel tackled Yakdoriga to the ground, resulting in a fight.

Jackal, who had been sitting in the corner scratching his fur, glared at his friends as they rolled around. He snapped, "Will you two knock it off?!"

Ezel stopped and kicked Yakdoriga aside, who chewed on his own leg. He shouted, pointing at Yakdoriga, "Well, he started it!"

"Look at you guys," Jackal said as he came down. "No wonder we're dangling at the bottom of the food chain! We Etherious possess different types of magic, with the power to destroy everything in sight and all, but compared to dragons, we're nothing but sucking gravel! Dragons built themselves into a pyramid, and they put themselves on top!"

Ezel said in disgust, a bit of drool dangling out of his mouth, "Man, I hate dangling!"

"Tell me about it," Jackal said, crossing his arms. "You know, if it weren't for those dragons, we'd be the ones runnin' the joint."

"Man, I hate dragons!" Ezel agreed.

"So pushy." Jackal added.

"And hairy."

"And stinky."

"And man, are they…"

"UUUUGLY!" Jackal and Ezel said in unison, putting their backs against each other. The two began laughing, until a deep voice interrupted them.

"Oh, surely we dragons aren't all _that_ bad."

The three Etherious jumped at the voice and looked up to see a black figure standing atop a ledge in the midst of steam shooting out of the ground.

"Hey, look!" Jackal shouted happily. "It's Acnologia! Good to see ya!"

Acnologia grinned in response, "The pleasure is all mine, Jackal, Ezel, Yakdoriga."

Ezel sighed in relief, "Oh, Acnologia. It's you. I thought there's some other dragon besides you."

"Yeah, we were afraid it was someone important," Jackal said.

Ezel laughed nervously, "Yeah, you know, like Igneel."

"I see," Igneel said stiffly.

"Now _that's_ power," Ezel said to Jackal.

"Tell me about it," Jackal nodded. "I just hear that name and I shudder."

Ezel then smirked, "Igneel."

"Ooh," Jackal shuddered as a chill went down his spine. "See what I mean? It's so creepy!" He then smiled, "Do it again!"

"Igneel," Ezel repeated, making Jackal shudder again. "Igneel, Igneel, Igneel!"

Yakdoriga fell over laughing hysterically as Acnologia watched, looking annoyed at the sight of how stupid his associates were.

Jackal laughed, "Ooh, it tingles me!"

Acnologia rubbed his temples in agitation, "I'm surrounded by idiots."

Ezel shook his head, "Not you, Acnologia. I mean, you're one of us. I mean, you're our pal. Our very best pal."

Acnologia said sarcastically, "Charmed."

Jackal remarked, "I like that. You see that, guys? He's not the king of Dragon Rock, but he's still so proper. He's 100% kingly material."

Ezel nodded, "No argument there. By the way, did you bring us anything to eat, Acnologia, old buddy, old pal? Huh? Did ya, did ya, did ya?"

Acnologia glared at the three Etherious and pulled out a torn haunch of a zebra. The three Etherious eyed the package, their mouths watering with hunger.

"Zebra haunch?" Ezel cried. "Our favorite!"

Acnologia sighed, "You know, I don't think you really deserve this. I practically gift-wrapped those dragon hatchlings for you, and you couldn't even dispose of them." The excited looks on the Etherious' faces disappeared and they stared shamefully at the ground. But Acnologia said, "On the other hand, I really don't want to carry this around."

He then dropped the haunch onto the ground. The three Etherious immediately rushed towards the package and began eating down the meaty haunch.

Jackal said with his mouthful, "Well, ya know, It wasn't exactly like they was alone, Acnologia."

"Yeah, what are we supposed to do?" Ezel asked, before swallowing his bite. "Kill Igneel?"

Upon hearing that, an evil glint appeared in Acnologia's eyes. He answered with a smirk, "Precisely."

The three Etherious looked up in surprise and confusion before Acnologia leapt down, causing them to jump out of the way. He walked calmly through the sheets of flame and gas erupting from the ground and began to sing.

Acnologia: _**I know that your powers of retention**_ ** _  
Are as wet as a warthog's backside  
_** _ **But thick as you are, pay attention**_

Yakdoriga was busy chewing on a bone, until Acnologia smacked it out of his tentacles, causing him to snap to attention and salute like a soldier.

 _ **My words are a matter of pride**_ ** _  
It's clear from your vacant expressions  
The lights are not all on upstairs_**

Acnologia waved his hand in front of the clueless Yakdoriga's blank unblinking face.

 ** _But we're talking kings and successions_**

Jackal and Ezel laughed to themselves, until Acnologia jumped at them, causing them to fall on top of two geysers.

 _ **Even you can't be caught unawares!**_

Jackal and Ezel were then launched into the air by the erupting geysers.

 _ **So prepare for the chance of a lifetime**_ ** _  
Be prepared for sensational news  
A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer_**

Jackal: _**And where do we feature?**_

Acnologia: (pinches Jackal's cheek) _**Just listen to teacher**_

Jackal rubbed his cheek.

 _ **I know it sounds sordid**_ ** _  
_** _ **But you'll be rewarded**_ ** _  
_** _ **When at last I am given my dues**_ ** _  
And injustice deliciously squared_**

He kicked Yakdoriga off the ledge and into a pile of bones with Jackal and Ezel.

 _ **Be prepared!**_

Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga popped out of the pile of bones with a different horned skull on each of their heads. Jackal said excitedly, "Yeah, be prepared! We'll all be prepared!" But then he paused, "For what?"

Acnologia answered, "For the death of the king!"

Jackal questioned, "Why? Is he sick?"

Acnologia grabbed him by the throat and explained, "No, you fool. We're going to kill him." He dropped him as he added, "And Natsu too."

Jackal grinned, "Great idea! Who needs a king?"

With that, he and Ezel danced around Yakdoriga, singing, "No king, no king, na-na-na-na-na-na!"

"Idiots!" Acnologia yelled at them. "There will be a king!"

Jackal looked puzzled, "Wait, but you said—"

" _I_ will be king!" Acnologia declared. "Stick with me, and you'll never go hungry again!"

"Yay!" Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga cheered. "Alright, long live the king!"

Various types of Etherious, each with different shapes and sizes, appeared from the shadows on both sides of the wall, chanting, "Love live the king! Long live the king!" Seeing what a charismatic leader Acnologia was, the Etherious couldn't help but be swayed to join his cause.

Soon, all of the Etherious were stepping across the cave into a Nazi-esque quadrangle.

Etherious: _**It's great that we'll soon be connected**_ ** _  
With a king who'll be all time adored_**

Acnologia: _**Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected**_ ** _  
To take certain duties on board_**

He made a gesture of slicing his throat with his claw to illustrate his point.

 _ **The future is littered with prizes**_ ** _  
And though I'm the main addressee  
The point that I must emphasize is_**

He jumped down and singled out one small hapless mushroom-like Etherious named Franmalth.

 _ **YOU WON'T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME!**_

Franmalth slipped and fell into a fiery crevice. The Etherious began dancing boisterously.

Acnologia: _**So prepare for the coup of the century**_ ** _  
_** _ **Be prepared for the murkiest scam**_

Etherious: _**Ooh… la-la-la!**_

Acnologia: _**Meticulous planning**_ ** _(We'll have food)  
Tenacity spanning _**_**(Lots of food)**_  
 _ **Decades of denial**_ ** _(We repeat)  
Is simply why I'll _**_**(Endless meat)**_

 _ **Be king undisputed**_ ** _  
Respected, saluted  
And seen for the wonder I am!_**

Two Etherious shook skeletons of animals in the light, making their shadows look like they were dancing.

 _ **Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared**_ ** _  
_** _ **Be prepared!**_

An Etherious named Lullaby played a tune from his flute holes. Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga stood in front of a blazing methane vent, looking very scary.

Etherious: _**Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared!**_

Now, Acnologia and the Etherious were standing on separate stone pillars.

Acnologia and the Etherious: _**Be prepared!**_

Acnologia laughed sinisterly, as did all of the Etherious. The time has come to commence their evil plan that could spell certain doom for Igneel, Natsu, and the Dragon Lands…


	7. Chaos in the Gorge

Much time has passed since the Dragon Lands heard of the incident in the Sun Giant Graveyard, and Igneel had a fatherly heart-to-heart chat with his son Natsu over his actions. The next day, Igneel prepared to make his annual trip to the Veronica Plains. Thanks to Duke Cream, Igneel and his group of dragons were given permission to host its 100th anniversary party of the Veronica Plains, celebrating the history of the land's discovery by the ancient Fire Walkers. The Veronica Plains' best sight of all is the Éclair Gorge, the largest canyon in the Dragon Lands.

While the dragons continued supervising the festivities, Acnologia and Natsu were making their way down into the gorge. Earlier this morning, Acnologia managed to convince Queen Grandeeney to let him take Natsu for a walk. They walked a good way until they descended into the gorge, where the sun didn't shine as bright and a cooling shadow covered the canyon. Finally, Acnologia took his nephew to stay at a rock underneath a small tree.

"Now, Natsu, I want you to wait here," Acnologia instructed. "Your father has a marvelous surprise for you."

"Really?" Natsu asked eagerly. "What is it?"

Acnologia smirked, "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?"

Natsu replied slyly, "If you tell me, I'll still act surprised."

Acnologia chuckled naughtily, "Oh, you are such a naughty boy! That's the best thing I like about you."

"Come on, Uncle Acno. Can't you tell me?" Natsu pleaded. "Please?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," Acnologia shook his head. "This is just between you and your daddy. It's a sort of father-son… thing." Natsu looked a little resentful of Acnologia's dismissive attitude, but shrugged it off. "Well, I'd better go get him."

Natsu jumped off to follow him, "I'll go with you!"

"No!" Acnologia said quickly. Realizing how abrupt he had been, he laughed and said in a normal tone, "I mean, no… Just stay on this rock." Natsu frowned as he went back onto the rock. "You wouldn't want to end up in another mess like you did with the Etherious, would you?"

Natsu asked in surprise, "You know about that?"

Acnologia stated, "Natsu, everybody knows about that."

"Really?" Natsu asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, yes," Acnologia nodded. "The entire Dragon Lands have to know about the well-being of their beloved prince. If something did happen to you, their hearts would be broken." He then smiled, "Lucky Daddy was there to save you and Wendy, eh?" He placed an arm around Natsu, "Oh, and just between us, you might want to work on that little fire breath of yours. Hmm?"

"Oh, okay," Natsu said, feeling self-conscious. Satisfied, Acnologia turned to leave, until Natsu called out, "Hey, Uncle Acno, will I like the surprise?"

Acnologia paused and looked at Natsu with a smirk, "Natsu, it's to _die_ for."

Feeling more excited than ever, Natsu sat on the rock and began waiting patiently for his father, while Acnologia walked away, an evil grin on his face.

* * *

High above the cliffs where Natsu was waiting, a large herd of Wyverns stood around, contently grazing. On the far side of the field, Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga were hiding under a rock arch.

"Man, look at them, all that juicy meat," Ezel stated, his arms magically transforming into sharp blades. His stomach growled, "My stomach's lookin' for a nice, big—"

Jackal interrupted, "Nobody's eating anything today."

"I can't help it," Ezel complained. "I'm so hungry… I gotta have a Wyvern!"

Jackal ordered, "Stay. Put."

Ezel pleaded, "Come on, Jackal! Can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?"

"No!" Jackal shouted. "We just have to stick to the plan."

Reaching into his fur, he took out two halves of a round blue stone with the image of a phoenix engraved, with its wings spread and its neck craned down.

Jackal explained, "See this, guys? That's a rare Phoenix Stone. When its two halves are joined together, it'll summon the Phoenix, a massive, nearly-indestructible magical killer beast. Its rampage will never stop until it devours one thing and one thing only… a fully-grown adult Fire Dragon."

"Yes, yes, and the Phoenix will suck the Fire Dragon's life force dry, and it will disappear into smoke," Ezel added with a groan. "We all heard that story before. Can we eat some Wyverns now?"

Jackal snapped, "Save the eating for later! We gotta fix the Phoenix Stone and let the Wyverns loose. But first, we wait for the signal from Acnologia."

All three Etherious looked up and saw Acnologia appearing above from a nearby cliff, signaling that it was time. "There he is," Jackal confirmed, and he turned to Ezel and Yakdoriga, "Let's go."

* * *

Ten minutes had passed and Natsu was growing bored. Staring off into the gorge, he said sarcastically to himself, "Little fire breath." He then scoffed.

Just then, he heard little footsteps and turned to see a pink polka-dotted goblin passing by. Seeing an opportunity, Natsu inhaled strongly, then exhaled a small torrent of flames from his mouth. But the flames didn't hit the goblin, who paid no attention whatsoever. Natsu jumped off the rock and exhaled another fire breath, which proved to be a little bit big than the last one. Still, it didn't reach the goblin. Determined to intimidate the creature, Natsu took his strongest breath, concentrated, and jumped in front of the goblin.

WHOOSH! Natsu's third fire breath was strong and large enough to reach the goblin, the attack mixed with a loud, encompassing roar. Feeling the heat, the goblin let out a frightened squeak and quickly skittered away. Natsu grinned proudly as his roar echoed throughout the gorge's walls.

Suddenly, Natsu felt the ground beneath him start to shake, the pebbles on the ground jumping around. Hearing a loud roar from above, he looked upwards to see a stampede of Wyverns charging straight down into the gorge and were heading Natsu's direction.

Natsu's eyes widened in horror, and he immediately took off. The stampeding herd followed close behind, trying desperately to escape from Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga, who burned, slashed, and snapped at their heels unmercifully. The Etherious finally stopped when the last Wyverns disappeared over the cliff side and stood at the edge, watching the helpless Natsu trying to escape the stampede.

Jackal smirked evilly and turned to his friends, "Time for Phase 2."

* * *

On the other side of the gorge, Igneel was taking a stroll with Erza riding on his shoulder, when they heard a low rumbling and noticed clouds of dust coming from afar.

Erza assumed, "Look, sire. The herds are on the move."

"That's odd," Igneel said, trying to get a better look.

Suddenly, Acnologia ran up to them with a panicked look on his face. He cried, "Igneel, quick! There's a stampede in the Éclair Gorge. Natsu's down there!"

"Natsu?!" Igneel asked horrified.

* * *

Back in the gorge, Natsu was trying desperately to outrun the stampeding Wyverns. The herd soon caught up with him and he had to maneuver between the large beasts as he jumped and stumbled over each. In a last ditch attempt, Natsu jumped up and clung onto a low hanging branch of a nearby tree. However, the branch was weak and bound to break as Natsu struggled to hold on.

Meanwhile, Igneel, Erza, and Acnologia flew to the gorge as fast as their wings can take them. Erza dove into the canyon, searching for Natsu, before she found him clinging to the crooked tree and flew over.

Natsu cried out, "Erza, help me!"

Erza shouted, "Your father's on the way! Hold on!"

"Hurry!" Natsu shouted frantically, feeling the branch shake more and more.

Igneel and Acnologia arrived on the opposite ledge and looked desperately for a sign of Natsu. Erza flew over to them and pointed down from the ledge, "There! There! On that tree!"

Igneel spotted his son hanging from the branch and gasped in panic. He shouted, "Hold on, Natsu!"

Just then, a Wyvern rammed the tree, nearly breaking it and causing Natsu to scream. Seeing no other alternative, Igneel jumped from the ledge and swooped down into the herd with his wings, joining the stampede.

"Oh, this is awful!" Erza screamed frantically. "This is awful! What will we do? What will we do?! WHAT WILL WE DO?!" She then got an idea, "Oh, I'll go back for help, that's what I'll do! I'll go back for—" She was cut off when Acnologia smacked her hard against the wall, where she fell unconscious.

Meanwhile, Igneel struggled to get past the stampede, each Wyvern knocking him from side-to-side and roughly to the ground. He kept his eye on Natsu and gasped when he saw a Wyvern run right into the tree, breaking it in half. A screaming Natsu was flung off the branch and into the air where he almost fell into the stampede. Luckily, Igneel stretched his wings and managed to grab Natsu with his mouth.

"Dad!" Natsu shouted in relief.

"Hold on, I'll get us out of here!" Igneel cried with his mouthful. But before he could fly off to safety, the Dragon King's back was rammed by a Wyvern, causing him to accidentally throw Natsu back into the stampede. Natsu struggled to stand up and watched fearfully as the Wyverns began closing in around him. Before a Wyvern could run over him, Igneel broke through with his enormous strength and grabbed Natsu out of the way. He scurried over to a nearby ledge and set Natsu down carefully. Unfortunately, another Wyvern struck Igneel and swept him back into the stampede.

"Dad!" Natsu yelled out.

When Igneel disappeared into the chaos, the stampede had already disappeared, leaving a large trail of smoke behind. Natsu scanned the smoke for a sign of his father, hoping that he hadn't been trampled. Suddenly, there was a large burst of smoke rising up into the air, and Igneel appeared out of it. Using his wings as fans, the Dragon King blew out all of the smoke until the surrounding area was clear.

"Dad!" Natsu sighed with relief, running over to his father. "You're okay!"

Exhausted by his ordeals, Igneel collapsed into the ground, groaning and rubbing his head, "Ouch... I'm getting too old for all this."

Acnologia silently observed the scene from the ledge, and all of a sudden, a wicked smirk appeared on his face. Why was he smiling, although Natsu and Igneel survived the rampaging Wyvern herd?

As Igneel began to recover, he sensed that something was amiss. The Wyvern stampede wasn't the only thing that's happened. "Wait... something's wrong."

He then eyed a mysterious flash of light appearing from above the gorge. This could only mean one thing...

" **STAND BACK!** " Igneel screamed to his son.

That tremendous surge of magical power indicated that the three Etherious united the two halves of the Phoenix Stone, and that glow symbolized the Phoenix's awakening. Like an egg about to hatch, the Phoenix Stone erupted until its size grew to large proportions. The Stone then inflated like a balloon, emerging out of its remains a huge, metallic, avian oval monstrosity: the Phoenix. Though it doesn't resemble a real firebird, its Magic Energy is off the charts, ten times significantly greater than dragons.

This was the beginning of the second rampage, even worse than the Wyverns. Acnologia and the three Etherious watched with satisfaction.

Extending its metallic arms, the Phoenix summoned a ring of magical blasts and fired them into multiple directions. The blasts destroyed the surrounding Veronica Plains, consuming them with fire. The Phoenix came about, rampaging through the plains, burning innocent animals alive, and tearing apart herds. With every surrounding grassland razed to the ground, the Phoenix leapt down to the gorge to resume its never-ending quest for destruction. During the chaos, the monster eyed the only thing that could satisfy its thirst— a Fire Dragon.

After a few seconds of recovering, Igneel finally stood up and looked up at the Phoenix in anger. He bellowed, " **You filthy beast! You dare to attack my kingdom and my son?! Do so, and you will anger me, the mighty Igneel!** "

With a mighty roar, Igneel charged at the Phoenix and struck it down with all his might, but no matter how many attacks he dealt, they proved to be highly ineffective because of its armor. The Phoenix responded with a few attacks of its own, such as launching fireballs, claw attacks, and lasers. Igneel used his agility and ferocity to dodge most of the attacks, although some were able to connect, their sheer power overwhelming the dragon.

In the battle's final moments, Igneel's body was badly scarred and bleeding by the Phoenix's claws, and his wings have been ripped apart. The Dragon King was left in a bad state, much to Natsu's shock and Acnologia's delight. Gathering his last bit of strength, Igneel erupted into a body of flame and, despite his grievous injuries and his torn-off wings, leapt out of the Phoenix's way. The flames carried him high to the side of a rocky wall and he managed to grab on before putting his flames out. Natsu let out a sigh of relief and began climbing up the slope to meet up with his father.

During the struggle, the Phoenix's chest split up into a hatch. It generated a magical black hole, designed to absorb a Fire Dragon and consume its life force dry so that it can disappear from existence, as per its nature. Feeling the force of the black hole, Igneel struggled to get to the top of the ledge with all of his remaining strength. As he did, he looked up to see Acnologia standing overhead.

"Acnologia!" Igneel cried, his grip slipping. "Brother, help me!"

Acnologia looked down at his brother silent for a moment, waiting for him to grab onto the edge of the cliff. Then without warning, Acnologia slammed his claws down, digging his sharp nails deep onto Igneel's hands. Igneel screamed in pain, before he looked up at Acnologia. His expression slowly turned into horror as he realized what his brother was about to do. Acnologia smiled wickedly, uttering four bone-chilling words.

"Long live the king."

And with that, Acnologia shoved Igneel off the cliff. Hearing a loud scream, Natsu turned to see his father plummeting towards the Phoenix's wide-open hatch, before he finally fell in and the hatch closed. In an instant, the Phoenix's body glowed bright red and exploded in a flash of ethereal light.

" **NOOOOOOOO!** " Natsu screamed, his eyes wide with horror as he watched his father consumed by the Phoenix.


	8. Igneel's Death

When the Phoenix vanished, the bliss of the Veronica Plains had been shattered. The once green-paradise now sported the scars of a disaster more terrible than had ever been. The gutted remains of grasslands stood scorched, the skeletal remains of animals stood blackened, charred, and the smoke spread across the land like a fog. Natsu jumped down onto the canyon floor as fast as he could, just as the destruction subsided.

"Dad!" Natsu called, but no response. The cloud of smoke obscured the entire gorge, clouding his vision. Still, he continued on, looking for Igneel. He continued looking around, until he heard footsteps approaching, "Dad?"

Instead, a small Wyvern appeared and flew off, struggling to catch up with the rest of the herd that disappeared before the Phoenix attacked. As if flew off, there was something large lying on the ground. Upon closer inspection, Natsu realized it was Igneel.

"Dad!" Natsu shouted, rushing to his father's side. Seeing him up close, Natsu felt his heart stop. Igneel was neither moving nor breathing. Instead, he lay flat on his side, his eyes closed, his scales broken, his body severely scarred, and his wings completely ripped off.

"D... Dad…?" Natsu whispered nervously. Igneel did not respond. "Dad, come on." He nudged his father's head with his, but it just rolled back into place. "You gotta get up." Once again, Igneel didn't answer. "Dad…" Natsu gently shook his dad's shoulder, "We gotta go home." Natsu tugged on Igneel's ear, but once again, there was no response.

Realizing that his father was not getting up, Natsu began to hyperventilate and backed away in a panic. He ran out into the canyon, looking around. "Help!" he called out to the vast emptiness. "Somebody! Anybody…" He choked out with his eyes filled with tears, "Help."

As he started to weep, Natsu made his way to Igneel's side. He couldn't believe his father, the Dragon King, the greatest Fire Dragon in the world, was dead. No longer would they play together or take walks around the Dragon Lands. No longer would he hear his father laugh and give him advice when he needed it. All of the times he spent with Igneel— the greatest days of his life— had finally come to an end. Feeling like he lost a part of himself, Natsu nuzzled himself up under Igneel's limp claw so that it looked like his father was hugging him. Natsu continued to cry, his sobs echoing throughout the gorge.

From the clouds of smoke, Acnologia appeared, looking disdainfully at his young nephew. Although he was angry that Natsu had managed to survive the Phoenix and the Wyvern stampede, he had one last plan for getting rid of Natsu.

"Natsu…" Acnologia spoke. Natsu looked up and spotted his uncle, who looked over his brother's dead body as if was shocked. "What have you done?"

Natsu backed away from Igneel and pleaded through tears, "T-T-There were Wyverns, and he tried to save me. And… and… t-t-t-that monster… That huge monster… It… It was… It was an accident. I-I didn't mean for it to happen…"

Acnologia embraced Natsu, pulling him closer. Natsu buried his face in his uncle's chest and cried. Acnologia replied sympathetically, "Of course, of course, you didn't." He patted Natsu's back, "No one ever means for these things to happen. But the sad fact is, Natsu, the Dragon King _is_ dead. And if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive."

Natsu looked up at Acnologia, realizing what he was saying. Acnologia looked worriedly at Natsu, "Oh, what will your mother and sister think?"

Acnologia was right about the gravity of this situation. Everyone would soon find out about the Wyvern stampede, the Phoenix's rampage, and Igneel's death. Natsu would not only have to tell them about what happened, but he'd also have to tell them _how_ it happened. How he caused the stampede and led his father to his death at the hands of the Phoenix.

Consumed by guilt, Natsu turned to Acnologia and asked, "What am I gonna do?"

"Run away, Natsu," Acnologia told him. "Run. Run away and never return."

Seeing no other way, Natsu ran off into the emptiness, never to be seen again. Acnologia watched his nephew run off, an evil smile creeping across his face. Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga appeared behind him, having observed the whole event from the cliff. Without turning around, Acnologia stared straight ahead and gave a simple order to his Etherious minions.

"Kill him."

The Etherious didn't need a second invite as they took off after Natsu.

Natsu ran as fast as he could through the gorge, only stopping briefly to see that his path was blocked by a group of rocks leading upward to the gully. Looking behind him, he saw Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga approaching. With no time to lose, Natsu climbed up the rocks, and then reached the top of the cliff, only to see a sheer drop. Seeing no other way out, and with the Etherious hot on his heels, he was left with no other choice but to jump and tumble down into a large patch of briars. Natsu struggled his way through the thorns, getting away from the Etherious in hot pursuit.

As Ezel slid down the hill, he spotted the patch of briars down below and dug his heels to the ground, attempting to skid to a stop. "Whoa!"

Soon enough, he stopped above the brambles and sighed in relief, until Jackal bumped against him, then Yakdoriga bumped against him, sending Ezel flying into the bushes. Ezel screamed in agony and flew out of the bushes, while Jackal and Yakdoriga laughed at his expense. He gingerly climbed out, covered in scratches and thorns.

The laughter came to a stop as Jackal spotted Natsu running into the desert. He shouted, "Hey, look! There he goes, there he goes!"

Ezel was busy pulling thorns out of his arm, "So go get him!"

Jackal responded, "Are you crazy? There's no way I'm going in there! What, you want me to end up like you? Cactus Butt?"

In annoyance, Ezel spat out a few thorns into Yakdoriga's face, causing the frog-insect-octopus hybrid to yelp in pain. Ezel stated, "Natsu's still getting away. We gotta finish the job, or Acnologia's not gonna be happy."

Jackal walked over to join Ezel and replied, "What does it matter? He's way too far ahead. If anything, he'll die of thirst or hunger once he's in the desert." He shrugged with a smile, "Natsu's as good as dead out there, anyway. And _if_ he comes back, we'll kill him."

"Yeah!" Ezel shouted, loud enough for the fleeing Natsu to hear. "You hear that?! If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!"

With that, the Etherious laughed to themselves and turned to leave, as Natsu disappeared into the horizon.

The young salmon dragon had no idea where to go now and where his path might lead, but figured it would lead him far away from here. He was ashamed to return home and see his family and friends again, because if he did, they would find out what he had done and blame him for Igneel's demise. All that matters to Natsu now was to run away, away from the Dragon Lands, away from his old life, and away from his horrid past.

* * *

News of the Phoenix's attack on the Veronica Plains spread quickly throughout the Dragon Lands. Many were in shock and saddened over the deaths of the Dragon King and the Dragon Prince. Others, mostly close friends of Igneel and Natsu, were outraged at their untimely deaths, and demanded to know who was responsible.

The funeral took place shortly afterward, and all of the dragons gathered within Dragon Rock to pay their final respects. The mourners bowed their heads, some wiping their eyes while others sobbed out loud. Those closest to Igneel and Natsu took it the hardest, like Wendy, who clung to Grandeeney's foreleg and cried hysterically, screaming Natsu's name over and over again while Erza tried to comfort her. Lucy, who rubbed up against Layla's side, wept silently for the loss of her best friend.

"We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of our beloved Dragon King and Prince, whose lives were tragically cut short," a dragon announced. "And now, Lord Acnologia would like to give his eulogy on behalf of his brother and nephew." The dragon then stepped away as Acnologia approached in front of the crowd, appearing sad yet strangely composed.

"My fellow dragons," Acnologia began. "Igneel's death was a terrible tragedy. But to lose Natsu, who had barely begun to live…" He sighed sadly, "For me, it is a deep personal loss. Princess Wendy, the last remaining heir of Igneel, is suited for the throne, of course, but she is considered too young and too inexperienced to rule. And so… it is with a heavy heart that I, Acnologia, assume the throne."

As he spoke, eerie shadows were cast upon Dragon Rock. Acnologia continued, "Yet out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era." Erza was the first to notice the ones responsible for casting the shadows. Joining Erza, Wendy fearfully clung to her horrified mother, while Lucy and her mother looked on in horror. "In which dragon and Etherious come together in a great and glorious future!"

True enough, an endless swarm of Etherious arrived in full force, surrounding the terrified dragons, as Acnologia ascended Dragon Rock. His reign as the new king had just begun.

Elsewhere, Makarov, the shaman of the Dragon Lands, stood atop a small rock and watched sadly as the events unfolded.

* * *

Later that night, Makarov returned home to his treehouse in a depressed state, his apprentices Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman unable to comfort him. He then entered his room and walked to the Dragon Rock family tree. He looked sadly at the baby dragon painting.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Makarov whispered, "Prince Natsu… you had so much promise…" He rubbed his hand across the painting, smearing the image.


	9. Hakuna Matata

For countless days, Natsu continued following the path through scorching winds and hot sands, until he became so weak with hunger and thirst that he finally collapsed into exhaustion right in the middle of the desert. There was nothing that can keep him going, besides his guilt, but the salmon dragon felt like he was better off that way. At least this was the inevitable retribution for the horrid things he had done.

A flock of vultures came about, circling around the unconscious dragon before they landed and gathered around him. They were about to devour him, until…

Suddenly, two excited screams filled the air. Those screams belonged to a young blue Exceed with a small green pouch tied to his back, and a young lion with a multicolored mane. With the Exceed riding on the lion's back, the two charged against the vultures, their paws drawn against them.

" **Rainbow Fire!** " the lion breathed a massive multicolored flame from his mouth, almost scorching the vultures and forcing them to fly away. Meanwhile, the Exceed slapped the rest of the vultures repeatedly with his paws, causing them to join the retreating flock.

"Go on, get outta here! Come on! Yeah!" the Exceed cheered, before he laughed with his partner.

"I _love_ it!" the lion cried happily as he high-fived the Exceed. "Bowling for buzzards is the best game ever!"

The Exceed laughed slyly as he dusted himself off, "I love it even more when I slapped those vultures right in the face! Gets 'em every time!"

As the Exceed started to leave, the lion stopped and looked to where Natsu passed out. He walked up to the dragon and placed a paw on his shoulder. The lion sensed his heartbeat, indicating he was still breathing, but unconscious.

"Uh-oh," the lion exclaimed. "Hey, Happy! You better get over there. There's a weird animal who's out cold."

"Weird animal?" the blue Exceed named Happy wondered. "What's wrong with him, Romeo?"

The lion with the multicolored mane known as Romeo assumed, "Looks like he's crawled all the way from the desert. Got a few scratches, but not serious. I think he's still alive."

Happy grinned, "Still alive, huh? Alright, let me take a closer look." He went over to examine the unconscious Natsu, "What do we have here…" As he lifted up Natsu's claw and saw his face, Happy paused and made a horrified look. "YIKES!" he exclaimed.

Romeo asked, "What's the holdup?"

Happy screamed, "It's a dragon! A real dragon!"

Romeo questioned, "How'd a dragon get here?"

Happy answered frantically, "Don't know, don't care! A dragon's here, and he's gonna eat us!" He jumped up on Romeo's back, "Run, Romeo! Run for the hills!"

"Ah, c'mon, Happy. It's just a little dragon," Romeo pouted, turning to Natsu with a sympathetic look. "Look at him. He's so cute and all alone!"

Happy replied sarcastically, "Yeah, sure. He's cute. Just like Carla." His face turned serious, "Too bad if he grows up, he'll be super-scary!"

Romeo asked, "Can we keep him?"

"Romeo, are you crazy?!" Happy shouted in disbelief. "We're talking about a dragon! Dragons eat guys like us!"

Romeo replied, "But he's so little. We can't leave him. That's not my style to leave someone behind. A friend never leaves a friend behind."

Happy stated, "#1: He's gonna get bigger. #2: Dragons don't make friends with anyone but their own kind."

Romeo suggested, "Maybe he'll be on our side. Maybe when he grows up, he'll protect us from the predators!"

Happy scoffed, "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. Maybe he'll be—" But then, his eyes widened in realization as an idea struck him. "Hey, I got it! What if he's on _our_ side? What if he'll protect us from the predators?"

Romeo stated, "That's exactly what I said."

"Yep," Happy nodded. "You know, having a dragon around might not be such a bad idea."

Romeo asked hopefully, "So we're keeping him?"

Happy replied with a grin, "Of course, Romeo. Who's the brains in this outfit? C'mon, let's get out of here and find some shade."

Romeo scooped Natsu up on his back, carrying him, and trotted off with Happy.

* * *

Happy and Romeo found shelter in an oasis and placed Natsu near a small pool of water. Happy splashed some water onto Natsu's face, waking him up. At first, all he saw were blurry shapes, but his vision slowly came into focus as he stared up at Happy and Romeo.

Happy asked him, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I guess so," Natsu replied, woozily shaking his head. "What happened? Who are you?"

Happy introduced, "My name's Happy. This is my friend, Romeo. He's a lion. Not just any lion, a Rainbow Lion."

Natsu questioned, "A Rainbow… Lion?"

"Rainbow Lion," Romeo answered. "Special types of lions with multicolored manes. They can breathe Rainbow Fire from their mouths. Check this out! **Rainbow Fire!** " He took a deep breath and fired a multicolored fireball from his mouth, scorching a nearby tree into cinders. He added proudly, "Not bad, huh? Rainbow Fire's not as tough as a dragon's fire breath, but it's still pretty cool."

Natsu's only reply was a sigh.

Romeo explained, "We found you lying unconscious in the desert. You nearly died."

Happy added, "I saved you."

"Hey!" Romeo shouted indignantly.

Happy chuckled sheepishly, "Well, uh, Romeo helped. Almost forgot about him."

"Thanks for your help," Natsu said, as he slowly got up and started walking away.

Happy asked, "Hey, where you going?"

"Nowhere," Natsu answered.

Romeo asked, "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Don't know," Natsu replied, not bothering to stop.

Happy and Romeo watched uncertainly at Natsu, who weakly made his way out of the oasis. Happy asked, "Is it just me, or is that guy looking blue? As blue as my fur?"

Romeo assumed, "I'd say salmon red."

Happy clarified, "No, I mean he's depressed."

Romeo nodded, "Oh, right. I knew that."

Happy insisted, "Well, we can't let him go out in the desert like that."

Happy and Romeo then ran forward and stood in Natsu's path. Romeo asked, "C'mon, dude. What's eatin' ya?"

"Nothing," Happy joked. "He's at the top of the food chain!" He laughed hysterically at his joke, "The food chain!" Natsu and Romeo just stared at him, and Happy stopped laughing, "So, what's your name?"

"Natsu," the young dragon answered despondently.

Romeo asked, "Where are you from?"

"Who cares?" Natsu replied, walking away again. "I can't go back."

Happy gasped in realization, "Oh, I get it. He's a runaway, an outcast!"

"Hey!" Romeo shared Happy's suggestion. "That means you're just like us!"

Happy went over to Natsu and said, "You don't have to be ashamed, you know. Romeo and I are outcasts, too. I ran away from my home in Extalia, a colony on the outskirts of the Dragon Lands, when my fellow Exceeds tried to run me down. I felt that I never fit in and wished for more in life, so I left that mudhole and never looked back."

Romeo added, "Years ago, I lost my dad, the King of the Rainbow Lions, when a deadly storm attacked our home. I was lost, left all alone without my family. Happy found me, and the two of us have been best friends ever since."

"We're two of a kind, Romeo and I," Happy smiled, placing his arm around Romeo's head. "So what's your story, Natsu? Why'd you decide to run away?"

Romeo asked, "What did you do?"

"Something terrible," Natsu answered. "But I don't wanna talk about it."

Happy grinned, "Good, we don't wanna hear about it!"

"C'mon, Happy, be nice," Romeo whispered to Happy, before he turned to Romeo, "Anything we can do to make you feel better?"

"Not unless you can change the past," Natsu replied glumly.

"We can't change the past, but I can give you some helpful advice," Romeo smiled, putting an arm around Natsu's shoulder. "In times like this, my dad would usually tell me something like, 'You gotta put your behind in your past.'"

"No, no, no," Happy interrupted, standing between them. "It's 'You gotta put your past behind you.' See, it's like this. Bad things happen, and you can't do anything about it, right?"

"Right," Natsu nodded sadly.

"Wrong!" Happy poked Natsu's nose. "When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world."

Natsu said, "Well, that's not what I was taught."

"Then maybe you need a new lesson," Happy stated. "And I'm just the cat for the job. Now, repeat after me." He cleared his throat, "Hakuna Matata."

"What?" Natsu asked in confusion.

"Ha-ku-na Ma-ta-ta," Romeo clarified. "It means 'no worries.'"

Happy: **_Hakuna Matata  
What a wonderful phrase!_**

Romeo: **_Hakuna Matata_**  
 ** _Ain't no passin' craze!_**

Happy: **_It means no worries  
For the rest of your days_**

Happy pulled Natsu over to a bush and leaned him back on it, before filing one of Natsu's claws with a filer.

Happy and Romeo: **_It's our problem-free  
Philosophy_**

Happy: **_Hakuna Matata_**

"Hakuna Matata?" Natsu asked.

Romeo nodded, "Yeah, it's our motto."

Natsu asked again, "What's a motto?"

"Nothing," Happy shook his head. "What's a motto with you?" He laughed at his own joke with Romeo joining in.

Romeo said, "I'm telling ya, Natsu, these two words will solve all your problems."

"That's right. Take Romeo, for example," Happy nodded.

Happy: **_Why, when he was a younger cub_**

Romeo: (Italian counter-tenor range) **_When I was a younger cub_**

Rubbing his ear, Happy commented, "Very nice."

Romeo replied, "Thanks."

Happy: **_He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal_**  
 ** _He could clear the savannah after every meal_**

Romeo: **_I'm a sensitive soul  
Though I seem thick-skinned  
And it hurt  
That my friends never stood downwind_**  
 ** _And oh, the shame!_**

Happy: **_He was ashamed!_**

Romeo: **_Thought of changin' my name_**

Happy: **_Oh, what's in a name!_**

Romeo: **_And I got down-hearted_**

Happy: **_How did you feel?_**

Romeo: **_Every time that I—_**

However, Happy rushed up and clamped his mouth shut. He shouted, "Romeo! Too much information!"

"Oh, sorry," Romeo apologized as Natsu raised a confused eyebrow. Happy stretched his wings, flew up, and grabbed a vine loop from the tree, handing it to Romeo as the two swung around playfully.

Happy and Romeo: **_Hakuna Matata  
What a wonderful phrase  
Hakuna Matata  
Ain't no passin' craze_**

Natsu smiled at the playfulness of the two and decided to join in.

Natsu: **_It means no worries  
For the rest of your days_**

Happy said enthusiastically, "Yeah, sing it!"

Natsu and Happy: **_It's our problem-free_**

Romeo: **_Philosophy_**

Natsu, Happy, and Romeo: **_Hakuna Matata_**

* * *

A moment later, Happy pushed aside a fern leaf, revealing a beautiful view of paradise. Waterfalls, green forests, rugged terrain, and plant life lined the atmosphere, much to Natsu's complete amazement.

Happy introduced, "Welcome to our humble home."

Natsu asked, "You live here?"

Happy explained, "Technically, we live wherever we want. It's got everything! Dramatic views, our very own porch swing, hot tub and spa, and a well-stocked cupboard of grub! It's the perfect life!"

Romeo smiled, "Yep! Home is where you hang out."

Natsu remarked, "It's beautiful."

Romeo gave a loud raunchy belch and said, "Man, I'm starved!"

"Tell me about it," Natsu smiled. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow."

Happy was rather disturbed by Natsu's want for meat. If there's anything meaty on the menu today, it could be a Exceed or a lion. He replied anxiously, "I hope you're kidding about that, 'cause we're fresh out of cow."

"Any zebra?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Elephant?"

"Nope."

"Hippo?"

"We don't have."

Natsu pouted, "Come on, any type of meat?"

Happy explained, "I'm a cat. I only eat fish and bugs. And Romeo's born a meat-eater, but he's sort of a vegetarian. He eats what I eat, too. Here's the thing, Natsu, if you live with us, you have to eat like us." He spotted a log and went over to it, "Hey, this looks like a good spot to rustle up some grub."

Romeo picked it up with his paws, revealing tons of insects underneath.

"Eww," Natsu said in alarm. "What's that supposed to be?"

Happy picked up a bug and replied, "A grub. What's it look like?"

Natsu exclaimed, "Gross!"

As if to gross the salmon dragon even further, Happy ate the bug and spoke with his mouth full, "Tastes like chicken."

Romeo slurped up a worm from the ground and said, "Slimy yet satisfying."

"These are rare delicacies," Happy noted, standing near an anthill and eating a bug. "Piquant, with a very pleasant crunch. It's 100% tasty like fish."

"You'll learn to love 'em," Romeo assured, his mouth full of bugs.

Happy was collecting some bugs and placing them on a leaf as if it were a plate. He said, "Can you just picture it, Natsu? This is the great life. No rules, no responsibilities." He poked his paw into a knothole of the log, pulled out a blue bug and ate it, "Ooh, the little cream-filled kind! My favorite!" He came over to Natsu, "And best of all, no worries." He held out the leaf of bugs, "What do you think?"

Natsu took a slug in his hand and shrugged, "Oh, well. Hakuna Matata." Bracing himself, he slurped the slug into his mouth. Chewing the grub, Natsu was surprised to find that it didn't taste as bad as he thought. He swallowed the slug, smacking his lips together. He then smiled, "Slimy… yet satisfying."

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

"That's it!" Romeo added eagerly.

With that, the bugs flew off the leaf in a colorful flutter. And this was only the beginning…

* * *

One season following another, Natsu stayed in his new home with his new friends, with Happy and Romeo doing their best to help him live the easy life. They ate together, played together, did adventures together, and sang together. As the years passed, Natsu had grown into an adult dragon, and his salmon hair, size, scales, strength, speed, and flying ability matured considerably. Today, the three friends were by the river, dancing and singing on a log.

Happy and Romeo: **_Hakuna Matata  
Hakuna Matata  
Hakuna Matata  
Hakuna_**

Natsu: **_It means no worries  
For the rest of your days_**

Natsu, Happy, and Romeo: **_It's our problem-free  
Philosophy_**

Happy: **_Hakuna Matata_**

All three dove off into the river. First, Happy jumped in doing a cannonball, making a small splash.

Natsu: **_Hakuna Matata_**

Second, Romeo dived, making a big splash.

Happy: **_Hakuna Matata_**

Lastly, Natsu flew down with his wings, making the biggest splash that washed Happy and Romeo ashore.

Natsu: **_Hakuna Matata_**

Happy: **_Hakuna Matata_**

Natsu joined Happy and Romeo on shore and shook himself dry, before the three boogied off into the forest. "Ta-ta!"

As they ventured off, Natsu couldn't help but feel happy at that moment. He thought he could never feel that away again after that tragic incident, but now he has new friends, a new home, and a new life. But most of all, he had a new hope. A hope to enjoy the new carefree life and forget the old life he left behind. To live with his new friends and enjoy Hakuna Matata for the rest of his days.


	10. King Acnologia's Reign

Many years had passed since Acnologia took over as the new king of Dragon Rock, and much had changed since then. Unfortunately, it wasn't for the better. After the death of Igneel, tensions had broken out between the Etherious and dragons. Ever since the Etherious were too lazy to carry out the work, the dragons have been forced to lead the hunting parties. Thusly, an all-out hunt for every single animal in the Dragon Lands was waged, and many casualties were suffered. A large amount of the animal population was decreased, the rivers were dried up, the skies darkened, and most of the existing plant life had withered and died. Even worse, anyone who dared to resist Acnologia's rule were either put to death or punished severely. As a result, the remaining animal population was forced to leave their once green paradise home in an effort to settle elsewhere, and avoid getting hunted for food. Even the herds in the neighboring regions disappeared.

However, despite all the Dragon Lands' problems, Acnologia remained unconcerned and would often spend his days relaxing in the King's Den, the throne cave of Dragon Rock. This day was no different as Acnologia laid back lazily against a rock, cleaning out his teeth with a bone, while Erza and Wendy were trapped in a cage made of an animal's ribcage.

Since Wendy was second-in-line to be ruler of the Dragon Lands, Acnologia kept special watch over her, making the young white dragon into one of his personal servants, next to Erza, so he could keep her close and prevent escape. During that time, Wendy was often subjugated to tedious work and humiliating tasks. One such example was singing.

Wendy: _**Nobody knows the trouble I've seen**_ ** _  
Nobody knows my sorrow_**

Wendy sniffled, unable to sing anymore. Erza comforted her by patting her on the back. She said, "There, there, Princess. Just let it out. I too, share your sorrow."

Acnologia tossed his bone at Wendy and Ezra's cage. He pouted, "Oh, Wendy, my sweet niece. Do lighten up. Sing something with a little bounce in it."

Erza frowned at his expense. Up until now, Acnologia had been ever more of a jerk than he already was. Wendy, on the other hand, dried her tears and thought for a moment, then started singing cheerfully.

Wendy: _**It's a small world after all!**_

" **NO!** " Acnologia shouted, looking back at her. "No. _Anything_ but that."

Scared out of her wits, Wendy pondered her thoughts again for another song, a better one to make her evil uncle feel relaxed. On cue, a mysterious type of music echoed throughout the cave, in response to Wendy's idea.

Erza wondered, "Is that Japanese pop music?"

Wendy cleared her throat and began to sing, this time in Japanese.

Wendy: _**Yume wo otte mayoikonda kokoro no mori no oku**_ ** _  
Kagami yori sunda izumi utsuru yuganda smile_**

Acnologia grinned at hearing Wendy's singing. He said, " _Masayume Chasing?_ My favorite!"

 _ **Koboreta namida wa (don't cry) kin demo gin demo nakute**_ ** _  
Arifureta namida (fall from my eyes) megami mo kizukanai_**

Enjoying this song immensely, Acnologia joined in.

Wendy and Acnologia: _**Masayume chasing chasing koero motto**_

Wendy: _**Jibun shijou saikou no**_

Wendy and Acnologia: _**Ima wo chasing chasing sou egaita**_

Wendy: _**Jibun ni natte moyase mune no hi wo**_

 _ **Na na na na na na na oh!**_ ** _  
Na na na na na hey! hey!  
Na na na na na na na oh!  
Kakenukero hero_**

 _ **Na na na na na na na oh!**_ ** _  
Na na na na na hey! hey!  
Na na na na na na oh!_**

Acnologia: _**Moyase mune no hi wo**_

As Wendy stopped singing, Erza groaned and shook her head in disappointment. She muttered, "You know, Wendy, we never would have had to do this for your father."

Wendy agreed, "I hear you, Erza. Of all the bossiest dragons I've seen in my life, Uncle Acnologia's got to be the worst! I like it better when Daddy was the king. He should be in charge!"

Erza sighed, "Oh, how I miss King Igneel…"

" **WHAT?!** " The mere mention of Igneel's name caused Acnologia to stop singing and lunge towards the ribcage in a fit of rage. "What did you say?!"

The mere sight of Acnologia's terrifying face caused Wendy and Erza to back away. Erza shuddered, "Oh, nothing, nothing. We're just enjoying your singing, as we always do."

Acnologia growled, "You said **Igneel!** "

"Igneel?!" Erza exclaimed. "I-I-I-I didn't say it!"

Acnologia's rage grew, " **You said it again!** "

Erza shivered, "No, no, no, no, no, please!"

Wendy protested, "Leave her alone! What did she ever do to you?!"

"She mentioned the name I _don't_ want to hear!" Acnologia angrily answered. "You know the law. Never _ever_ mention that name in my presence. I am the **KING!** " To make his point, he shoved his mouth between the ribs of Erza and Wendy's cage with his sharp teeth. His breath blew both of them against the wall.

"Oh, yes, sire. You _are_ the king. I-I… Well, I only mentioned it to illustrate the differences in your royal managerial approaches," Erza laughed nervously.

"Hey, boss!" a voice called out. Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga entered the King's Den, much to Acnologia's annoyance.

Acnologia sighed, "What is it this time? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"We've got a bone to pick with you!" Ezel said, angrily stepping forward.

"Let me handle this, Ezel," Jackal suggested, before turning to Acnologia. "Acnologia, we just got back from the Shirotsume Pits. We searched the whole Dragon Lands, but there's no food or water anywhere."

Ezel agreed, "Yeah! It's dinnertime, and there ain't no stinkin' entrees!"

"You are your petty complaints!" Acnologia groaned. "It's the Sky Dragons' job to do the hunting. Take your complaints up with them."

Erza whispered to Wendy, "That's the group of dragons led by your mother."

Wendy replied with a nod, "I know."

Ezel continued, "We just did talk to the Sky Dragons. But those white-scaled freaks refused to go. Even the Iron Dragons, White Dragons, and Shadow Dragons… They don't want any part of it!"

"Well, in that case, eat Erza," Acnologia suggested, gesturing over to the crimson-haired hawk, who looked panicked.

Overhearing her uncle's words, Wendy held Erza close to her. She exclaimed, "You're not gonna eat Erza, are you?"

Erza added, "Yes, that's right. You wouldn't want to eat me. I'd be so tough and gamey and… yuck…"

Acnologia chuckled, "Oh, Wendy, don't be ridiculous. All Erza needs is a little garnish."

Wendy shouted, "Forget it! Erza will never be lunch for jerks like them! I would never give up anyone who's my friend!"

Erza smiled contently, "Bless you, Princess Wendy. I knew would you care."

Ezel whispered to Jackal and Yakdoriga, "Without Erza, who's gonna be our new playmate? And I thought things were bad under Igneel."

"What did you say?" Acnologia snapped, glaring at the Etherious.

"I said Ig—" Ezel began, until a nervously smiling Jackal smacked him. "I said, uh… 'Achilles' heel.'"

"Good," Acnologia sneered. "Now get out."

The three Etherious began to leave, until Ezel interrupted, "Yeah, but we're still hungry."

" **OUT!** " Acnologia roared, scaring the Etherious into running out of the cave, with Yakdoriga letting loose a crazy laugh. Wendy and Erza sighed with relief, glad to hear that Erza won't be lunch for the Etherious anytime soon.

Acnologia then went to his rocky spot and laid back again, rubbing his head in agitation. He groaned, "Oh, the agony of it all… It's been years since my brother's death, and still, his shadow looms over me."

Wendy glared at Acnologia, "Gee, Uncle, I can't imagine why."

Acnologia said disappointedly, "This isn't right… Here I am, on top of the world, but the view is bleak. What is wrong with this picture? Why am I loathed and despised by my subjects, when they should be treating me with respect and gratitude?"

Wendy answered angrily, "Here's a simple answer. The Dragon Lands are dying. There's no food, no water, no animal friends, no anything! Ever since you became king, you allowed those Etherious to stay in Dragon Rock, and everyone was sad!"

Erza agreed, "The Etherious are prancing around like they own the place. As long as they're around, there isn't enough water to fill a mouse's navel! How can you ever gain respect from anyone because of what you've done? What you've planned to do? Can you justify your actions?"

Acnologia said dismissively, "Silly ladies. What's important is how I feel."

Wendy scoffed, "Well, it's not like you really care about anyone."

Acnologia's expression became grim as he started at his niece. His words came out cold and severe, "And why wouldn't I care?"

"Because…" Wendy began, before she continued with a loud, emboldened scream, "Because you're not the king! You're a MONSTER! A heartless and cruel jerk who cares about no one!"

Instead of snapping back at Wendy, Acnologia laughed smugly, "I've been called that all the time. Isn't that why they called me _The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse?_ " He then smirked, "And do you honestly think I'm a _monster?_ Look at what I've done for the Dragon Lands!" He thrust out his hand to gesture around him, "Years ago, we wouldn't have dreamed that we would get as monumental as we are today. The Etherious are our allies, our enemies are defeated. The Dragon Lands are a safer place, and a more prosperous place, thanks to me."

Wendy corrected, "No, the Etherious are _your_ allies. _Your_ enemies are defeated. You've only made things better for yourself, can't you see that? Is this what Daddy would've wanted?"

" _Is that what Daddy would've wanted…_ " Acnologia mocked Wendy's voice, before his angry eyes flashed towards Wendy. "Well, guess what? Daddy's not here! I couldn't care less what he would've wanted. I don't owe your father anything. Just like I don't owe these lands or those peasants. I don't require their respect, only their obedience. If those fools dared to stop me, let them beware. They'll be getting the 'royal treatment' from me… and like it!"

He threw back his head and let out a maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the King's Den. After a few seconds of laughter, he looked at the skies growing darker from the mouth of the cave. Acnologia remarked, "Heavens, look at the sun… wherever that is. Time flies when a king laughs with maniacal glee. I could use a quick king's nap."

Stretching his arms and yawning, Acnologia laid his back on the rock and began to sleep, his snoring echoing throughout the cave.

Erza sighed with relief and wiped her head with her feathers, "And I thought he could snap at you for mentioning your father's name, Wendy. It's probably a family matter between the two of you."

"Erza?" Wendy asked.

Erza asked, turning to Wendy, "What is it, dear?"

A second stream of tears flowed down Wendy's cheeks. She choked, "I miss Natsu. I miss him… I miss him."

Erza replied, as she was close to tears herself, "I know, Wendy. I miss Natsu, too."

The crimson-haired hawk pulled the younger white dragon into a hug, both feeling the tears slip out of their eyes. They stayed like that for several minutes, shaking and crying silently, and ignoring Acnologia's loud snoring. More than ever, the Dragon Lands needed a savior. A savior who will end Acnologia's tyrannical rule and restore peace and freedom to the Dragon Lands.


	11. Makarov's Discovery

Back in the Hakuna Matata Jungle, Natsu was blissfully unaware of what's going on back in the Dragon Lands, all because he spent most of his time hanging out with his new friends, Happy the Exceed and Romeo the Rainbow Lion. That night, after enjoying a large feast of delicious fish and scrumptious insects, they all lay down upon the grass and stared upward to the night sky, their stomachs full. The sky was clear and filled with sparkling stars.

Just then, Natsu lets out a monstrous belch that reverberated across the landscape. Happy commented, "Whoa. Nice one, Natsu."

"Thanks," Natsu smiled, touching his belly. "Man, I'm stuffed."

Romeo added, "Me too. I ate like a cat!"

Natsu pointed out, "Uh, Romeo, you are a cat. Cats are lions."

"Oh, right," Romeo nodded. The gang then sighed together in contentment, and for a few seconds, they remained silent.

Romeo spoke, "Well, the one good thing about relaxing in the night sky is that we get a nice view."

Happy replied, "Tell me about it."

Romeo contemplated, "You know, I always wondered what really made up all those stars in the sky. My dad used to tell me stories about how magical spirits would fly up to the sky and got stuck up there, turning into things that twinkle."

Happy interjected, "Romeo, why would magical spirits want to fly up there and turn into sparkly dots? My theory about stars is that they're fireflies that got stuck up on that big bluish-black thing."

Romeo admitted, "I know it's kinda silly, but I always enjoy hearing that story when I was a cub. It made looking at the stars much more interesting. I mean, some cubs my age always thought that stars were just balls of gas burning billions of miles away."

Happy chuckled, "Good one." He turned to Natsu, "What about you, Natsu? What do you think they are?"

"Well, I don't know… I…" Natsu admitted sheepishly. "Actually, never mind. It's stupid."

Happy pouted, "Aw, c'mon, Natsu. Can't you tell us?"

Romeo begged, "Yeah, come on!"

The two continued to clamor, wanting Natsu to confess what he thought the stars were. They concluded with a simultaneous plead, "Pleeeeeeeease?"

Natsu sighed reluctantly and said, "Well, when I was a little dragon, somebody once told me that the stars make up the great kings of the past. They're up there, watching over us and giving us help when we needed it most."

"Really?" Romeo asked in awe, but it was pretty hard to tell if it was genuine or mockingly.

Happy asked skeptically, "You mean a bunch of royal dead guys are watching us?"

Natsu nodded, "Pretty much, yeah."

Happy paused for a moment before he bursts out laughing, "Wow! You were right, Natsu! That story was stupid! Dead kings watching from the sky? Seriously, what dopey-head made that up?"

Romeo chuckled, "Yeah, it does sound kinda dumb when you put it that way." He then shared his laugh with Happy.

Natsu joined in, albeit a bit half-heartedly, "Yeah, pretty dumb, huh?"

Happy chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye, "Aw, you're whisking my whiskers."

As the laughter subsided, Natsu felt a pain building up in his chest. Needing some air, he stood up and left, much to Happy and Romeo's confusion.

Happy asked Romeo, "Was it something I said?"

Natsu kept walking away until he was well beyond Happy and Romeo's reach. He didn't know where he was going, but all he knew was that he wanted to spend some time alone as much as possible. He wasn't sure why Happy and Romeo made him feel so depressed when they mentioned the "great kings of the past", the same story Igneel told him when he was a young dragon. After all, they didn't know any better. He never told his friends about his father and wanted to keep it that way. Yet despite the many years that passed since Igneel's death, Natsu could not shake the pain and memories that continued to haunt him since that day. He just wanted it to go away so he could finally move on and forget.

Soon, Natsu came to a stop on a ledge that overlooked more of the jungle. He had another clear view of the starry sky, and once again, the same aching pain had returned. Unable to hold on, Natsu collapsed in exhaustion, causing a floss of milkweed to stir and blow away into the gentle breeze.

* * *

The milkweed blew all across the desert until it reached the top of Makarov's baobab tree. Sensing the milkweed from a mile away, the old mandrill quickly snatched some of it out in the air. Sniffing it, Makarov realized that it represents someone of familiar air. Someone he knew very well.

Climbing down the branches, he retreated back inside the tree. Pouring the sample of the milkweed he retrieved into a turtle shell, he sifted it around. Curious to what the milkweed contains, Makarov took a melon and split it in half, taking a bite. At first, the wise mandrill was skeptical, but when he looked closer and closer at the milkweed in the turtle shell, his eyes widened with dawning realization.

"Natsu?" Makarov exclaimed with beaming hope. He then turned to the smeared painting of Natsu, "He's-He's alive? He-He-He's alive!"

Makarov danced merrily around his study, laughing manically all the while, until he was in front of the wall containing the royal dragon family tree. Sticking his finger into coconut juice, Makarov crazily sketched Natsu's body, symbolizing that the young dragon was still alive and was all grown up.

"It is time!" Makarov said confidently, staring at the picture of Dragon Rock's new and rightful ruler. "Wait till Mirajane and the others hear about this!" Laughing, he exited his room, for he can't wait to tell his apprentices of Natsu's fate.


	12. Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

Back in the Hakuna Matata Jungle, it was just another carefree day for Happy and Romeo as they boogied off, singing a catchy jungle tune. Romeo was doing the bass vocals, while Happy was doing the main vocals.

Romeo: **_Ohi'mbube  
Ohi'mbube  
Ohi'mbube  
Ohi'mbube_**

Happy: **_In the jungle  
The mighty jungle  
The lion sleeps tonight_**

Suddenly, a beetle flew by, distracting Romeo from the song. With a sly smirk, the young Rainbow Lion followed it, but Happy didn't notice as he continued singing.

 ** _In the jungle  
The mighty jungle  
The lion sleeps to—_**

Happy shouted, "I can't hear you, buddy, back me up!"

 ** _A-weeee-ee-ee-ee ba-da-dum-da-dum-way_**

But then, he stopped singing as he noticed Romeo was gone. "Romeo? Romeo? Anyone?"

* * *

Romeo was stalking the beetle, humming the bass. He wasn't willing to let his snack slip away. Sneakily licking his mouth, the young Rainbow Lion hid theatrically behind a tree and tried to jump over the log, but he got stuck momentarily. Just then, Romeo had the feeling he was being watched and looked over his shoulder. "Happy?"

When he saw nothing, he shrugged before going over the log. Romeo looked at the beetle in close range, smiling deviously. He was about to stalk his prey, until he noticed something hiding in the grass nearby. "Huh? What's that?"

The figure hidden within the grass was an adult yellow dragon with long blonde hair tied to a pigtail, beautiful brown eyes, and small white heart-shaped scales around some parts of her body. The dragon looked ready to pounce, either out of playfulness or potential harm as its mouth spewed small specks of golden fire.

" **AAAAGGHHH! KILLER DRAGON!** "

With an ear-piercing scream, Romeo turned away from the log and ran away from the yellow dragon in hot pursuit. As much as Romeo was a fast runner, considering he was a Rainbow Lion, the dragon's speed seemed to go beyond his own. The creature flew after Romeo with her wings, its teeth bared and its mouth still spewing fire.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the jungle, Happy heard Romeo's scream. "Romeo?" He shot straight and strained his ears in the direction of the scream. Thanks to his acute hearing, as all Exceeds have, he was able to faintly hear more yelling and could tell exactly where it came from.

Right on cue, Romeo continued to scream as he slid around a tree, trying to avoid the dragon. Happy ran through, calling, "Romeo! Romeo!"

The young Rainbow Lion tried to slide through a tree root, only to get stuck. Happy asked, "Romeo, are you alright? What's going on?"

" **SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!** " Romeo screamed at the top of his voice.

Happy exclaimed, "Eat you? And who exactly is 'she?'"

Before he could get an answer, Happy got up onto the root. His eyes widened when he saw the yellow dragon descending towards them at full speed with her wings. "Whoa!" he yelled, as he began trying to get Romeo through the root. "Geez, why do I always have to save your—"

But then, Happy screamed upon seeing the dragon about to close in. To make matters worse, he was in the line of the attack!

Suddenly, there was a mighty roar which caused the yellow dragon to look up in surprise as another dragon in salmon leapt over the log and tackled her. Just in the nick of time, Natsu came to save his friends from being eaten alive. The two began fighting savagely in an epic battle for the fate of two helpless animals.

Happy said happily, "Hey, Natsu's back!" He patted Romeo comfortingly, "Don't worry, Romeo. Natsu's here. Everything's gonna be okay."

As Natsu and the yellow dragon continued fighting, Happy yelled, rooting for Natsu, "Get her! Bite her head! Go for the jugular! The jugular!" He turned to Happy again, "See, I told you he'd come in handy."

At the battle's final moments, the yellow dragon grabbed Natsu, flipped him over, and pinned him down with a loud thud. Natsu gazed up at the yellow dragon in surprise as she growled down at him, baring her teeth. The face, the hair, the figure, that position… Could it be…?

"Lucy?" Natsu whispered in amazement. The yellow dragon's anger dissolved into confusion, causing her to back off as he got up. Natsu took a step forward in anticipation, "Lucy, is it really you?"

"Who _are_ you?" The yellow dragon wondered how he knew her name.

"It's me," a wide smile crossed Natsu's face. "Natsu."

"Natsu?" Lucy asked in surprise. Natsu's reply was a nod.

The two young dragons paused and looked at each other more intently. And then, a moment of realization kicked in.

" **WHOA!** " they both yelled, one childhood friend recognizing the other. They started greeting each other enthusiastically, sometimes playing and giving each other hugs, "Well, how did you… How did you… Where did you come from? Who… Wow! It's great to see you! It's so great to see you!"

On the other side, Happy watched in utter bewilderment. He walked over and asked, "Hey, what's going on here?"

"I can't believe you're here!" Natsu cried happily, ignoring Happy. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the jungle?"

"I could be asking you the same thing!" Lucy responded. "What are you, of all people, doing out here in the middle of the jungle?"

"Hey, I asked you first!" Natsu protested.

"Well, I deserve more of an explanation!" Lucy countered.

" **HEY!** " Happy yelled at the top of his lungs, finally getting Natsu and Lucy's attention. " **WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!** "

Natsu chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry, Happy. Guess I got a little too excited." He then gestured to Lucy, "This is Lucy. She's my best friend.

"Friend?" Happy exclaimed. "Best?!"

Natsu explained, "Yeah, we've known each other for a long time since we're little dragons." He looked over Happy's shoulder, "Hey, Romeo! Over here!"

Romeo pulled himself free from the tree root, and made his way over to his friends. Natsu continued, "Romeo, this is Lucy. Lucy, Romeo."

Romeo smiled, "Pleased to meet you. For a second there, I thought you were gonna eat me for lunch."

Lucy giggled, "The pleasure's all mine. And honestly, I didn't mean to eat you. I was hungry, and you're kinda the only thing around to eat when I first saw you. My bad." She added with a blush, "I'm really sorry I attacked you earlier. I hope there's no hard feelings."

Romeo grinned, "Aw, it's no big deal. This probably won't be your first."

Now Happy was more confused than ever. He interrupted, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out! Lemme get this straight." He gestured to Lucy, "You know her." He gestured to Natsu, "She knows you." He gestured to Romeo, "But she wants to eat him. Then all of a sudden, you came in and said she's your friend, and… everybody's okay with this?" He then screamed, " **DID I MISS SOMETHING?!** "

Natsu eased, "Relax, Happy. No need to lose your cool."

Happy was almost losing his temper as he yelled, " **LOSE MY COOL?! I NEVER LOSE MY COOL! EVERYBODY LOVES ME!** " Natsu could only chuckle in amusement.

Lucy said excitedly, "Oh, man! This is gonna be great! I bet everybody will be excited to find out you've been here all this time!" She then paused, "And Wendy, and your mom… What will they think?"

Natsu cringed. He remembered Acnologia asking him what Wendy and Grandeeney would think of Natsu having caused Igneel's death. He answered shyly, "They don't have to know. Nobody has to know."

Lucy stated, "Well, of course they do. Everybody in the Dragon Lands thinks you're dead."

Natsu looked surprised as he asked, "They do?"

Lucy nodded sadly, "Yeah. Acnologia told us about the Phoenix that attacked the Veronica Plains. How your dad tried to save you, but dropped you into a ravine before he also died. I guess that's why they never found your body."

"Oh, okay…" Natsu nodded in understanding. "What else did he tell you?"

"What else matters? You're alive," Lucy said happily, before she gasped in realization. "And that means… you're the king!"

A brief silence descended over them, broken up by Happy, who spoke up, "King?" He walked over and leaned against Natsu's leg with a scoff, "Lady, have you got _your_ dragons crossed."

"King?" Romeo said, amazed at what he just heard. "I had no idea I was in the presence of a king, all this time!" He turned to Natsu and bowed to him, "Your Majesty, I gravel at your feet." He then kissed noisily on Natsu's foot.

Natsu pulled his foot away and said embarrassingly, "Stop it."

Happy walked over to Romeo and said, "It's not _gravel._ It's _grovel._ And don't! He's not the king!" But then he turned to Natsu, "Are you?"

Natsu shook his head, "No."

"Natsu!" Lucy said in surprise.

"No, I'm not the king," Natsu said. "Maybe I was gonna be, but that was a long time ago."

"Natsu, let me get this straight," Happy said. "You're the king? And you never told us? For all those years?"

Natsu pouted, "Aw, c'mon, Happy! Just because I'm about to be king doesn't mean I want to. I'm still the same guy!"

Happy pointed out in agreement, "But with power!"

Lucy sighed. She wanted to at least reason with her best friend. She turned to Happy and Romeo and said apologetically, "Could you guys excuse us for a few minutes?"

"No problem," Happy smiled. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of us. Right, Natsu?"

Natsu thought for a moment, before he chuckled and said, "Maybe you better go." There was another reason why he wants to be alone with Lucy, besides a little friendly reunion.

Happy reluctantly nodded as he went to escort Romeo off. He said, "It starts. You think you know a guy." Romeo sighed in agreement.

Natsu watched with a smile as Happy and Romeo walked away. He said, "Happy and Romeo. You learn to love 'em." As he looked back at Lucy, he noticed she was looking down at the ground, trembling with sadness. Natsu walked over to Lucy, who kept her gaze downward as tears rolled off her cheeks. "What is it?"

"It's not that. It's like..." Lucy shook her head, her voice choking a little bit. "It's like you're back from the dead. You don't know how much this'll mean to everyone. What it means to Wendy." She then looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes, "What it means to me."

"Hey, it's okay," Natsu comforted. "I've seen you look worse. Besides…" He gently stroked away Lucy's tears. "You actually look pretty when you cry."

She couldn't tell if he was being sincere or just trying to make her feel better. Regardless, a smile formed on Lucy's face, and she rubbed her head under Natsu's chin. "I've really missed you."

Natsu was caught by surprise for a moment, but nonetheless reciprocated. "I've missed you too."

And so, the two dragons began nuzzling. For a while, they enjoyed being in the embrace of the other as they moved their heads around their bodies. What neither of them knew was that Happy and Romeo were watching from the bushes.

Happy sighed and said, "I tell you, Romeo, this stinks."

Romeo replied, "Don't look at me. I barely ate anything today."

"Not you," Happy said, gesturing to the two. "Them! Him. Her. Alone."

Romeo asked, "What's wrong with that?"

Happy: **_I can see what's happening_**

Romeo: **_What?_**

Happy: **_And they don't have a clue_**

Romeo: **_Who?_**

Happy: **_They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line  
Our trio's down to two_**

Romeo: **_Oh_**

Happy: **_The sweet caress of twilight  
There's magic everywhere  
And with all this romantic atmosphere  
Disaster's in the air!_**

Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy were walking by a waterfall.

Female Singer: **_Can you feel the love tonight?  
The peace the evening brings?  
The world, for once, in perfect harmony  
With all its living things_**

They both stopped near a pond to drink.

Natsu: (thinking) **_So many things to tell her  
But how to make her see  
The truth about my past?  
Impossible, she'd turn away from me_**

Lucy: (thinking) **_He's holding back, he's hiding  
But what, I can't decide  
Why won't he be the king I know he is?  
The king I see inside?_**

Natsu smirked at Lucy, before he ran off, much to her confusion. He ran back, jumped and flew upward with his wings, and dove headfirst into the pond.

Chorus: **_Can you feel the love tonight?_**

Lucy looked into the pond in concern, until Natsu popped out of the water and pulled her in playfully. Lucy yelped as she popped out of the water and quickly got back onto dry land, looking freaked out, while Natsu climbed out, all wet with a smile on his face.

 ** _The peace the evening brings?_**

Lucy smirked at Natsu, before shoving him back into the pond and running off. A moment later, they ran through a field, disturbing a flock of birds.

 ** _The world, for once, in perfect harmony  
With all its living things_**

Later, the two were tussling playfully. It then became playful fighting, until they both fell over and tumbled down a hill. Once they reached the bottom, Natsu found himself pinning Lucy down... for the first time in his childhood life.

 ** _Can you feel the love tonight?_**

Lucy leaned up and licked Natsu's cheek, much to his surprise, before he looked at her in confusion.

 ** _You needn't look too far_**

Lucy leaned back, just smiling seductively at him, while Natsu's confused look melted into a comprehending look.

 ** _Stealing through the night's uncertainties  
Love is where they are_**

The two leaned in and nuzzled their heads. At that moment, the two dragons had come together to feel the love tonight… their childhood friendship turned to love.

Elsewhere, Happy and Romeo looked like they were about to cry.

Happy: **_And if he falls in love tonight_**

Romeo sniffled sadly.

 ** _It can be assumed_**

Happy sadly hugged Romeo.

Romeo: **_His carefree days  
With us are history_**

Happy and Romeo: **_In short, our pal is doomed_**

With that, the two looked at each other, before they began crying like a bunch of babies. They felt like they lost their best friend to a great power: the power of love.


	13. Words of Wisdom

Sometime later, Natsu and Lucy were walking by the river after a great amount of time they spent together. Natsu asked, "So, Lucy, what do you think? Isn't this a great place?"

"It is beautiful," Lucy admitted. She returned to the subject at hand, "But there's one thing I don't understand. If you've been alive all this time, then why didn't you come back to Dragon Rock?"

Natsu was willing to give his answer, but it was a different one. He dared not to explain the true reason why he didn't come back, so he decided to make up something. Climbing into a hammock of hanging vines, he answered, "Well, I just needed to get out on my own. You know, live my own life. And I did. And it's great."

It would seem that he was trying to convince himself that a life without worry is the best life, but Lucy wasn't buying it. She said worriedly, "Natsu, everybody's worried about you. Even Wendy."

Natsu scoffed, "Why should they be worried about me? They think I'm dead, so they should get used to it. They should just move on and forget about me."

"Move on? Forget about you?" Lucy exclaimed. "How could you say something like that? We really needed you back home."

Natsu shook his head, "No one needs me."

"Yes, we do!" Lucy protested. "You're the king!"

Natsu groaned, "Lucy, we've been through this. I'm not the king, Acnologia is."

Lucy sighed sadly, knowing she had to convince Natsu the best she can. She replied, "Natsu… he let the Etherious take over the Dragon Lands."

"What?" Natsu said in surprise. The dragons' greatest enemies were allowed by Acnologia to reside freely in the Dragon Lands?

Lucy continued, "Ever since Acnologia took over, everything's gone to waste. The herds have been chased away. There's no food, no water. Natsu, if you don't do something soon, everybody will starve. And it gets even worse! Acnologia took Wendy as his personal slave! He kept pushing and pushing her, wearing her down all day long, and he didn't give her or your mom a choice in the matter!"

"So, they're gonna starve?" Natsu asked sternly, getting down from his makeshift hammock. "Good for them, because they deserved it. Heck, I never wanted to be here anyway."

Lucy was shocked at Natsu's harsh words. "How could you say something like that? Dragon Rock is your home! The dragons and animals are our friends! And Wendy's your sister! You have to go back!"

Natsu said grimly, "I can't go back."

"Why?!" Lucy demanded.

"You wouldn't understand," Natsu said as he walked off.

Lucy shouted, "What wouldn't I understand?!"

Natsu was hastily trying to forget the whole matter, "No, no, no. It doesn't matter. Hakuna Matata."

"What?" Lucy asked puzzled.

"Hakuna Matata," Natsu repeated. "It's something I learned out here. Look, sometimes bad things happen…"

"Natsu…" Lucy began.

"…and there's nothing you can do about it," Natsu continued. "So why worry?"

"Because it's your responsibility!" Lucy protested angrily. She followed Natsu, who walked over a fallen log. "You're the future king of Dragon Rock! And you know it! You said it yourself: you just can't wait to be king. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

Natsu said irritably, "I'm not the king! Even if I want to be."

Lucy growled in frustration, "So that's it? That you decided not to be king and left? That you left everyone to starve?!"

Natsu paused. He turned to Lucy with angry eyes, "Well, what about you? You left!"

Lucy shot back, "I left to find help, and I found you! Don't you understand, Natsu? You're our only hope!"

Natsu glanced back at Lucy with a cold expression. His voice came out cruel and severe, "Sorry, Lucy. Looks like you found the wrong help. This is my home now. Go find someone else. I don't care about my old home anymore. Not even family."

"What's wrong with you?" Lucy frowned, unable to believe her ears. "You're not the Natsu I remember. The real Natsu wouldn't be so harsh and cruel. The real Natsu wouldn't leave behind someone when they need him most. The real Natsu would've cared very much about everyone. Deep down, I know Natsu. He's my best friend. But you..." She shook her head, "You're not Natsu."

Natsu agreed cruelly, "Yeah, you're right. I'm not Natsu. I'm someone else. Now are you satisfied?"

"No," Lucy answered. "Just disappointed."

Natsu sneered, "It's funny you said that, because you're starting to sound like my dad." He turned to walk away.

"Good," Lucy said under her breath. "At least one of us does."

The minute she said those words shocked Natsu to the core. It reminded him of the pain, the sadness, the frustration of trying to forget the past, how much he had suffered…

"Listen!" Natsu walked up to Lucy with much anger he ever felt before. "You think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life? You don't even know what I've been through!"

Lucy screamed, "I would if you just tell me!"

"Forget it!" Natsu yelled, storming off and leaving Lucy behind.

"Fine!" Lucy retorted, turning her head away in disgust.

* * *

Night had fallen, and Natsu was pacing back and forth on a grassy field. It was unbearable; he can't stop thinking about it.

"She's wrong. I can't go back," Natsu grumbled to himself. "What would it prove anyway? It won't change anything. You can't change the past."

The guilt in Natsu's chest continued to consume him. If he hadn't been foolish enough to cause the stampede, if he hadn't been so convinced that everybody would accuse him for Igneel's death, none of this would've happened. He should've stayed back home, and Igneel shouldn't be hurt. Natsu could not stand this. He can't stand being Igneel's son anymore. He can't stand being the future king anymore. He didn't want to return to his old life. He just wanted a new life, wanted to be somebody, anybody else…

" **DAD!** " Natsu screamed to the stars, his eyes suddenly watering with tears. Rage and frustration rose inside him; if only Igneel was there for him, always, when he needed him most. " **YOU SAID IT YOURSELF! YOU SAID YOU'D ALWAYS BE THERE FOR ME!** " His anger soon dissolved to sadness, "But you're not." He bent his head in shame, the tears never ceasing to flow. "And it's because of me. It's my fault… It's my fault."

The former prince of the Dragon Lands stood at the grass, silently weeping. Looking around the field, he remembered how Igneel would often take him for late-night walks outside Dragon Rock, either by looking at the stars or speak with other dragon relatives, like Natsu's cousins Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue. That was when things had been different before the Phoenix killed Igneel, before Acnologia became the new king. Even now, Natsu could remember Igneel standing at the top of Dragon Rock, telling his faithful subjects how wondrous the kingdom has been, or that the enemies trying to take over the Dragon Lands had been defeated. But the best memories of all were all the times Natsu spent together with Igneel. They played together, trained together, and they would often converse about life's lessons in the Dragon Lands. The sun would reflect its warm and friendly rays every morning, and rainy days would be miles away.

All of that was gone now.

As Natsu cried the last of his tears, an ominous chant accompanied the winds, slightly loud enough for the young dragon to hear. The noise of the chant came from a certain old mandrill, standing on a branch from a nearby tree and shaking it with his arms and legs.

Makarov: **_Asante sana! (Thank you very much!)  
Squash banana! (Squash banana!)  
We we nugu! (You're a baboon)  
Mi mi apana! (And I'm not!)_**

The Dragon Lands' resident shaman repeated the chant, and it soon became a bit irritating for Natsu. As the dragon left, Makarov stopped chanting. He shook the branch and chuckled in rhythm, and he jumped onto another branch, elated at the sight of Natsu.

Natsu lied down on a log over the pond and stared sadly at his reflection. The reflection was distorted when a rock dropped into the pond, disturbing the water. He looked up in annoyance to see Makarov now in another tree, chanting again.

Natsu groaned, "Come on, will you cut it out?" He got up and began to walk away, preferring to be alone.

"Cut it out?" Makarov smiled amusingly, hopping down from the tree. "It's impossible to cut out words from your voice. They'll grow right back if you repeat them over and over again." He added with a laugh, "It's an old Earth-land proverb. It grows out of the ground like a tree."

The old mandrill began following Natsu, annoying the dragon further. He muttered, "Creepy little monkey. Will you stop following me?"

Makarov shrugged, "I can't help myself, young one. I seem to have a great interest in you. That's right. I'm following you. I'm onto you."

Natsu stopped, his eyebrow raised. He questioned, "You're onto me? Who are you, anyway?"

"I should be asking _you_ the same question," Makarov said, standing in front of Natsu and pointing a finger at his face. " _Who_ are you?"

At first, Natsu was startled by the old mandrill's question. He thought about it and sighed in depression, "I thought I knew. Now I'm not so sure."

Makarov grinned, "Well, I know who you are." He pulled Natsu closer, "Come here. It's a secret." He then whispered:

Makarov: **_Asante sana!  
Squash banana!  
We we nugu!  
Mi mi apana!_**

The "secret" is actually the same chant that grew loud in front of Natsu's ears. This was getting on the young dragon's nerves. Natsu shouted, "Enough already! What does that even mean?!"

Makarov answered with a chuckle, "It's a classic Swahili chant. It means you are a baboon, and I'm not."

"I think you're a little confused, Gramps," Natsu said, walking away. "You should see a doctor or something."

"Wrong," Makarov magically appeared in front of Natsu. "I'm not the one who's confused. You don't even know _who_ you are."

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ know who I am?" Natsu asked sarcastically, as he began to walk away again.

"Of course I do," Makarov replied. "You're the son of Igneel."

Natsu stopped in his tracks, surprised upon hearing what Makarov said.

"Bye!" Makarov waved, before he disappeared.

"Hey, wait!" Natsu called, chasing after Makarov. Once he caught up, he found Makarov sitting in a meditative lotus position on a rock. He breathed in and out, before he asked, "You knew my father?"

"Correction," Makarov said in a monotone voice. "I know your father."

Natsu looked sad. If Makarov did know about Igneel, he probably didn't know what happened to him. He said, "I hate to break this to you, Gramps, but… he died a long time ago."

"Nope! Wrong again!" Makarov said cheerfully. Laughing, he hopped off the rock and over to a dense jungle-like area. "He's alive, and I will show him to you. You follow old Makarov, he knows the way! Come on!"

With that, the old mandrill disappeared into the darkness. Natsu knew he had no choice but to follow Makarov, if it means seeing his father again. However, it was difficult to keep up due to Natsu's huge size.

"Don't dawdle!" Makarov told him. "Hurry up!"

"Hey, wait, wait!" Natsu struggled to keep up.

"Come on, come on," Makarov urged, going ahead of Natsu.

"Would you slow down?" Natsu shouted.

As he tried to follow Makarov, he could see him flitting through the canopy, laughing like a maniac and whooping. Natsu continued running, until…

"Stop!" Makarov popped up in front of Natsu, holding his open palm up in front of his face and causing the latter to skid to a stop. Makarov shushed him, before parting some reeds and pointing past them. He whispered, "Look down there."

Natsu carefully made his way out and looked over the edge. The only thing he saw was his reflection in a pool of water. He looked startled at first, but then realized what he was looking at.

"That's not my father," Natsu sighed in disappointment. "That's just my reflection." How could he have been so stupid to believe this old monkey?

"No," Makarov shook his head, motioning Natsu over the pool. "Look harder." He dipped a single finger at the water, causing ripples to form and distort Natsu's reflection. As Natsu looked on, he was shocked to see his reflection changing into that of his father, Igneel.

"You see? He lives in you," Makarov said quietly.

Natsu was awestruck as he stared into the pool, just as the wind began to pick up. And this time, the wind carried a different, yet familiar voice.

" **Natsu…** " the voice echoed.

"Dad?" Natsu wondered, looking up in confusion.

A sea of clouds gathered and formed together to make a white, fluffy image of Igneel. It looked almost ghostly at first, but began to gain color.

" **Natsu, you have forgotten me.** "

"No…" Natsu shook his head. "How could I?"

" **You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Natsu. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.** "

"How can I go back?" Natsu asked in dismay. "I'm not who I used to be."

" **Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king.** "

Natsu's face was a mixture of awe, sadness, and fear. Igneel's image began to fade away.

" **Remember who you are.** "

"No, please!" Natsu cried. Desperate to keep up with Igneel, he ran into the fields. "Don't leave me!"

" **Remember…** "

"Dad!"

" **Remember…** "

Natsu stopped running. His voice whispered helplessly, "Don't leave me."

" **Remember…** "

Natsu stood there for a moment as the wind tossed the grass restlessly. The spirit of his father had encouraged him to return home and take his rightful place in the Circle of Life.

Makarov walked up and said, "What on earth was _that?_ The weather is very peculiar today, don't you think?"

Of course, Natsu knew that Igneel and Makarov were right. He has to go back home, but he was still unsure of the outcome. Natsu nodded unsurely, "Yeah. Looks like the winds are changing."

Makarov agreed, "Ah, yes. Change is good. Great things happen with unexpected results."

Natsu replied, "It's not gonna be easy, Gramps."

Makarov chuckled, "Do you really have to call me that, sonny boy? Just call me by my name." He then paused, "Then again, my young apprentice Elfman used to call me Gramps."

"I know what I had to do, but going back means I'll have to face my past," Natsu stated. "I've been running from it for so long." Suddenly, Makarov whacked the young dragon upside the head with his staff. "Ouch!" Natsu groaned. "Geez, what was that for?!"

Makarov answered, "It doesn't matter. It's in the past."

Natsu rubbed his head, "Yeah, but it still hurts."

Makarov nodded understandingly, "Oh, yes. The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." He swung his staff again, but this time, Natsu dodged it. Makarov smiled, "Ha! You see? So, what are you going to do?"

"First…" Natsu began with a mischievous smirk. "I'm gonna take your stick." Without warning, he grabbed Makarov's staff with his teeth and tossed it to the side.

"No, no, no, no, no! Not the stick! I've worked all day on it!" Makarov shouted as he ran over and grabbed his staff. But then he turned and saw Natsu flying off with his wings. "Hey, where are you going?!"

"I'm going back!" Natsu shouted back, and he flew and disappeared into the night sky.

"Good!" Makarov yelled happily. "Go on! Get outta here!" He began laughing, hooting, and hollering while a few shooting stars flew across the sky.

Chorus: **_Busa le lizwe (Rule this land)  
Busa le lizwe (Rule this land)  
Busa le lizwe (Rule this land)  
Busa lomhlaba (Rule this land)_**

 ** _Sabusa le lizwe (You shall rule this land)  
Sabusa le lizwe (You shall rule this land)  
Sabusa le lizwe (You shall rule this land)  
Sabusa le lizwe (You shall rule this land)  
Busa lomhlaba (Rule this land)_**


	14. The King Has Returned

Meanwhile, Happy and Romeo were fast asleep with the Exceed on top of the Rainbow Lion's back, with the latter mumbling, "Grubs, grubs," in his sleep occasionally. The two friends were dreaming sweet dreams without care; if they're living the carefree lifestyle in the real world, they're living the carefree lifestyle in the world of dreams as well.

At that moment, the blonde-haired dragon Lucy found the two in their sleep. She walked up to Happy and tapped him on the shoulder, whispering, "Hey. Hey, wake up."

Mumbling, Happy woke up, only to see a huge dragon face in his view. Suddenly freaked out, Happy screamed at the top of his lungs, resulting in Romeo waking up and screaming with him.

Lucy tried to calm them down, "It's okay! Whoa, whoa, it's okay! It's okay, guys! It's me, Lucy! Remember?"

Happy clutched his chest as if he almost had a heart attack. He exclaimed, "Don't you ever do that again! You almost killed me!"

Lucy chuckled in embarrassment, "Sorry about that." Her expression turned serious, "Have you guys seen Natsu?"

"Natsu?" Romeo said in confusion. "I thought he was with you."

Lucy replied, "He was, but now I can't find him. Where is he?"

As if to answer Lucy's question, joyous laughter echoed. The three looked up to see Makarov sitting in a tree above them.

"You certainly won't find him here," Makarov smiled, before he laughed again. He added with a bow, "The king has returned."

"I can't believe it," Lucy said to herself, knowing what Makarov meant. She then exclaimed loudly, "Natsu's gone back!"

Happy looked puzzled and asked, "Gone back? What the heck does that mean?" He looked at the tree, but saw that Makarov was gone. "Hey, what's going on here? Who's the monkey?"

"Natsu's gone back to challenge Acnologia," Lucy told Happy.

"Who?" Happy said in confusion.

"Acnologia," Lucy repeated.

Romeo asked, "Who's got acne?"

Lucy shook his head, "No, no, no, it's _Acnologia._ It's a name. He's his uncle."

Happy looked confused, "The monkey's his uncle?"

"No!" Lucy corrected. "Natsu's gone back to challenge his uncle, save his family, and take his place as king."

The two just stood there, looking completely dumbfounded at first. Happy spoke up, "Uh, no offense, lady, but I thought Natsu's the king."

Lucy sighed exasperatedly, "Do I have to explain everything?"

Happy nodded, "Sure, go ahead. But can you please skip to the part about Natsu? Not that your childhood wasn't good and all."

Lucy complied, "Oh, okay. I'll make this short, sweet, and to the point. Natsu's the rightful king, but after he disappeared, his uncle Acnologia proclaimed himself the king and formed an alliance with the Etherious…"

While Lucy continued her story, Romeo listened with a concerned look on his face. He thought to himself, " _Poor Natsu. The treachery… the villainy… the sheer indescribable horror!_ "

Happy shared a concerned look of his own. He thought to himself, " _I don't get what that crazy chick's talking about, but it sure sounds convincing._ "

"…Natsu has to go home to challenge his uncle and reclaim his rightful place as king," Lucy concluded. She stared at Happy and Romeo, who stood there silently as crickets chirped. In response, Lucy added, "Um, what I meant is, if Natsu beats his uncle, he'll be the king. So technically, he's not the king yet."

"Ohhh," Happy and Romeo said in unison, finally understanding what Lucy meant.

* * *

The flight back to the Dragon Lands was long and arduous. It was Natsu, the one true king, who would chance the perilous task to defeat his uncle and take his place in the great Circle of Life. He soared at the sky through blistering clouds and scorching rays of the sun, travelling for a whole day, risking life and limb to return to the place he called home.

Sometime later, Natsu landed on safer ground, having arrived in the Dragon Lands. Lucy wasn't kidding; the wretched state the lands were in caught him by surprise. As Natsu slowly crossed the desolated fields, he eyed everything around him; the skeletal remains of animals, sprawled on the dirt. The waterholes, dried up. And all of plant life, withered.

Reaching the lip of a cliff, Natsu stretched his view over more of the desolation. Furious at the way Acnologia treated the Dragon Lands during his reign, he was determined more than ever to challenge his uncle.

"Natsu, wait up!"

He turned to see Lucy flying down next to him on the cliff. She asked, "It's awful, isn't it?"

Natsu admitted, "I didn't want to believe you."

Lucy wondered, "So, what made you come back?"

Natsu answered with a smile, "Let's just say I finally got some sense knocked into me. I've even got the bump to prove it. Besides, this is my kingdom. And if I don't fight for it, who will?"

"I will," Lucy volunteered.

Natsu told her, "It's gonna be dangerous."

"Danger? Ha," Lucy smirked, imitating Natsu when he was young back at the Sun Giant Graveyard. "I laugh in the face of danger. HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Natsu chuckled playfully, "Just like old times, huh?"

Lucy nodded with a smile, "Yeah. Just like old times."

At that moment, Happy and Romeo approached them. Happy frowned, "I don't see anything funny about danger. Danger is really… dangerous."

Natsu looked surprised as he said, "Happy? Romeo? What are you doing here?"

Romeo bowed respectfully, "At your service, my liege!"

"So, we're gonna fight your uncle for this waste dump?" Happy asked, gesturing to the desolated land.

Natsu nodded, "Yeah, Happy. As bad as it looks right now, this is my home. I'm gonna take it back, and it'll be back the way it should be."

"Talk about your fixer-upper," Happy remarked, before he turned to Natsu. "Well, Natsu, if this is your home and it's important to you, we're with you to the end." He then bowed.

Romeo volunteered, "Count me in."

Lucy nodded, "Me too."

Natsu smiled, "Thanks, guys." He and his allies looked over the cliff as a storm cloud descended over the Dragon Lands. They've got some work to do.

* * *

A moment later, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Romeo were sneaking up to the edge of Dragon Rock. They hid behind a rock and peeked out, seeing hordes of Etherious all over the place. Ever since Acnologia took over, the Etherious were living in Dragon Rock, making the dragons uncomfortable around them. Many deigned to attack the Etherious, but considering Acnologia's new law requires that the Etherious and dragons should cooperate and be allies, and anyone that harms a single Etherious leads to severe punishment, the dragons had no choice but to relent. Because of this, the once prosperous residence of dragons had devolved into something of that of a madhouse.

"Etherious," Happy cringed. "I hate Etherious. Every time I see them, they give me nightmares."

Natsu asked, "You bumped into them before?"

"Yeah, I met three of them back at Extalia. Long story," Happy nodded. He changed the subject, "So, what's your plan for getting past those guys?"

"Live bait," Natsu answered.

"Good idea," Happy whispered, until he realized what Natsu was thinking. "Hey!"

Natsu replied, "Come on, Happy. You guys have to make a diversion." Lucy nodded in agreement.

Happy frowned incredulously, "What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?"

* * *

The Etherious heard some drums playing. They turned to see Happy dressed in drag and doing the hula. Romeo is set up like a stuffed lion, with an apple in his mouth.

Happy: **_Luau!_**  
 ** _If you're hungry for a hunk of fat and juicy meat_**  
 ** _Eat my buddy, Romeo, because he is a treat  
Come on down and dine  
On this tasty swine  
All you have to do is get in line!_**

Drooling hungrily, the Etherious approached, intending to eat not just Romeo, but Happy as well.

Happy: **_Are ya achin'?_**

Romeo: **_Yup, yup, yup_**

Happy: **_For some bacon?_**

Romeo: **_Yup, yup, yup_**

Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy snuck past the Etherious.

Happy: **_He's a big cat_**

Romeo: **_Yup, yup_**

Happy: **_You can be a big cat too, oy!_**

Then Happy and Romeo screamed and slid away with the Etherious in close pursuit. They led the hunger-mad demons into a cave. Soon, the screams and angry growls ceased as the Etherious searched for them inside the cave, holding for a beat.

"What the—" the leading Etherious began.

" **Rainbow Fire!** "

A powerful explosion sounded inside the cave, with a cloud of multicolored dust billowing out of the cave's entrance. Screaming, the Etherious fled from the cave in a panic. Happy and Romeo emerged triumphantly, with Romeo's nose snorting like a bull. Happy was at the top of his head, standing proud. He inhaled deeply, "I love the smell of Rainbow Fire in the morning."

Happy and Romeo's ears were suddenly caught by two voices coming from behind them.

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere…" a female voice said. "We just have to keep looking! We haven't searched the big pointy rock yet!"

"Who cares where he is? For all I know, a waterfall might've swallowed him up," a male voice replied, before it directed to Romeo, "Hey, big cat! Move your tush!"

Romeo yelped, "Oh, sorry!" He skipped out of the way to reveal two Exceeds behind him. The first is a white elderly male Exceed with thin facial hair and a mono-brow, wearing an open blue vest with a white shirt, a straw hat, green pants, and a brown pair of shoes. His name was Lucky. The second is a blue elderly female Exceed wearing a white dress with a yellow apron and a dark green scarf with holes cut out for her ears, which is wrapped around her head in a similar Hijab fashion. Her name was Marl.

"Mom? Dad?" Happy was astonished when he recognized the two Exceeds, who were actually his parents.

Marl was so delighted to see her son. She cried, "Oh, Happy!"

Lucky, on the other hand, was floored. He shouted, "Happy?!"

Happy asked, "What are you doing here?"

Marl answered, "Looking for you!" She embraced Happy in a big hug. "Oh, Happy… I know you're upset about our colony's way of life that you decided to run away from home. But you have no idea how much your father and I miss you. Don't worry, dear. Mommy's here."

Happy chuckled, "I'm fine, Mom."

Lucky frowned, crossing his arms, "And now, Happy's back to cause a lot of trouble. The worst prank of all is that he led the Etherious straight to the colony while that klutz was on sentry duty, and I had the worst injuries of my life! I flinched when I should've scurried!" He turned to Happy with a stern look, "And what did he find?" He fingered the flower in Happy's fur, "He wore a flower in his fur so that he'd come back looking like an idiot!"

Happy grinned sheepishly at Lucky's expense, "Sorry, Dad."

Lucky groaned, "Whatever, kid. When we get back home, you're doing chores, double-time!"

Happy rubbed his head in embarrassment, before he said, "Oh, I haven't introduced you to my best friend." He began making introductions, "Romeo: Mom, Dad. Mom, Dad: Romeo." He gathered Marl, Lucky, and Romeo in a circle, "I need you guys to listen. There are lots of things I wanna talk to you about."

Marl smiled, "Yes, please. Tell us everything, son."

Lucky grumbled, "Another one of Happy's silly stories…"

* * *

As Natsu and Lucy drew closer to Pony Rock, they're getting ready for their next move. Natsu turned to Lucy and said, "Lucy, you find Wendy and Mom, and rally up the dragons. I'll look for Acnologia."

Lucy nodded as she left to do so. Natsu snuck along for signs of his evil uncle. Luckily, He didn't have to search for long.

" **WENDY!** " Acnologia roared from the top of Dragon Rock.

Natsu quickly hid behind a rock and looked out as he saw someone making his or her way up. At first, Natsu didn't recognize the figure, until he realized it was Wendy.

The years since Acnologia had forcibly taken her as his personal slave had not been so kind to her; there were bruises and scratches all over her body as a result of the torment and suffering she endured, and her face was dirty with tearstains. Her head hung low to the ground as she made her way up, almost unaware of the carnivorous Etherious snapping at her heels and tail. Among her sadness and despair, Natsu could sense fear in her step.

"Wendy…" he whispered sadly. "What has he done to you?" What happened to his little sister? What happened to the same little white dragon that went on adventures together with Natsu and Lucy? Where there had been fire in her soul, she now appeared to be a shadow of her former self.

Once Wendy stepped in front of Acnologia, she asked blankly, "Yes, Uncle Acnologia?"

"Where is your hunting party?" Acnologia impatiently paced around her; she struggled not to tremble in fear. "They're not doing their job."

Natsu said to himself in surprise, "Wendy's got her own hunting party?"

Wendy reported, "We searched everywhere, Uncle. Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, and I looked over the Dragon Lands' neighboring places, but there's no food there, too. The herds have moved on. Everything's dead."

Acnologia glared, "No. You're just not looking hard enough."

"It's _over,_ Uncle," Wendy frowned. "Don't you understand? There is nothing left. We have only one choice. We must leave Dragon Rock."

Acnologia snapped, "We're not going anywhere."

Wendy argued, "There are other places we can settle in!"

Acnologia scoffed, "Other places more dull that this one. What of it?"

Wendy said incredulously, "What of it?!"

Acnologia said disdainfully, "I made you the leader of the Dragon Lands' hunting party after your mother's passing, and this is how you repay me?" He turned his head away in disgust, "Send the next one in. I've no time for these childish games."

Anger was starting to fuel Wendy like she never felt before. She screamed, "Why, Uncle?! Why?! Why do you keep pushing me? Why do you keep putting me and my friends in harm's way? You're the king! You've should've helped us, and now you don't even see my mother! Even before she died!"

Natsu froze, his entire body shivering to what he just heard. He whispered, "Mom… is dead?"

Acnologia scoffed again, "You mean that insipid Sky Dragon who died of illness? It's good she's dead. I have no use for that weakling."

Wendy was extremely shocked by Acnologia's words. "Weakling…?"

"Every subject is a disposable pawn, especially among family," Acnologia explained. "That is what it means to be king."

Finally, Wendy couldn't take it anymore. For too long, she had allowed Acnologia to walk over her. Well, not this time!

Shaking with anger, and tears flowing down her cheeks again, she snarled, "You monster… How could you be so heartless and cruel? It's like you sentenced us to death!"

Acnologia's expression turned into a smirk, "Oh, so you want to join your mother in her deathbed, do you? Then, so be it."

"No…" Wendy said fearfully. "You can't do that!"

"I am the king," Acnologia deadpanned. "I can do whatever I want!"

Wendy screamed outrageously, "If you were half the king my father was, you would nev—"

Upon hearing Wendy mention her father, Acnologia slapped her, knocking her to the ground. "I'm **TEN TIMES THE KING** your father was!" he bellowed furiously.

Suddenly, a loud roar resonated with the thunder exploding from the clouds. Acnologia looked up and gasped in horror when he saw a familiar figure standing on the ledge as a bolt of lightning illuminated the figure. It was Natsu!


	15. Battle of Dragon Rock

After a split second, Natsu leapt down, furious at the way Acnologia had treated his sister. Acnologia was understandably frightened as he fearfully backed away from the salmon dragon. "Igneel? No, it can't be! You're dead!" Because of the illuminating darkness, the only thing he could really see was Natsu's scales, which caused him to mistake his nephew for the brother he had killed.

Ignoring Acnologia, Natsu went over to his nearly unconscious sister. He gently nudged her and whispered, "Wendy?"

Because she was hit hard, and years of abuse and suffering took its toll on her, Wendy lacked the strength to wake up. She was tired and spent, but she nonetheless opened her eyes. Wendy looked up, her vision foggy so that the only thing she could see was Natsu's scales.

"D… Daddy…?" Wendy said weakly.

"No, Wendy," Natsu told her gently. "It's me."

Wendy's vision cleared, and she looked surprised when she saw it was indeed Natsu. She smiled upon recognizing the big brother she missed for the first time in years. "Natsu? You're alive?" But then she looked puzzled, "But how can that be?"

"It doesn't matter," Natsu replied, before he nuzzled her. "All that matters now is that I'm home."

"Natsu…" Wendy's eyes watered with tears. "M-Mom… she's… She's…"

"I know," Natsu nodded sadly. "I miss her, too." Tears began to fill up his own eyes as he pressed his face with Wendy's. The two siblings hugged each other and started crying. "I missed you, Wendy."

Wendy sobbed, "I missed you too, Natsu."

The two continued crying with Wendy's face buried in Natsu's chest. Meanwhile, Acnologia was surprised to see his nephew alive, after all these years that he presumed he was dead.

"Natsu?" Acnologia said confused. Then he quickly recovered, "Natsu! My goodness, you've returned! And look how you've grown! I'm very surprised to see you…" He looked up and glared, " _…alive._ "

From the edge of a cliff above, Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga gulped nervously and slinked into the shadows. They were the ones who convinced Acnologia that Natsu was dead, but now that he's still alive, the three Etherious were in big trouble. If only they had killed Natsu when they had the chance.

Mustering her remaining strength, Wendy slowly stood up and looked proudly at Acnologia. She smirked, "Sorry that my brother had to rain on your parade, Uncle."

Natsu threw a dark glance at Acnologia. Tearmarks still stained his face, but his face turned from sorrow to anger. He walked towards his uncle with fury in his eyes. Natsu growled, "You hurt my sister. You left my mom to die. You lead the Etherious into our home. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart right now."

"Oh, Natsu, you must understand," Acnologia said apologetically, backing into a wall. "I was ruling in your absence just as much as your father did. While you were presumed dead, I found a solution. I made peace with the Etherious, and it wouldn't be hard for everyone here to do the same thing. I've done more for the Dragon Lands than you ever have."

Natsu shook his head, "No, you just made everything worse. You only made things better for yourself."

Wendy added, "And on top of that, the position of king is my brother's birthright. You have no right to take it!"

Acnologia countered, "Except Natsu was gone! I did what I had to do to bring order to the Dragon Lands. It's the reason I need to replace your father in the first place. The pressures of ruling a kingdom…"

"Are no longer yours," Natsu interjected. "Step down, Acnologia. Let's end this without making a mess. Just hand over the throne and we'll forget about this."

Wendy agreed, "That's right! The throne's not meant for you. Just step down, go away, and leave us alone!"

Acnologia laughed nervously, "I would, naturally, but there is one little problem. You see them?" He pointed upward to a horde of Etherious standing on the rocks. "They think _I'm_ king."

"Well, we don't!"

Acnologia and Natsu both turned to see that Lucy appeared with the dragons, while two were helping Wendy stand up.

"Natsu's the rightful king," Lucy said.

"We all know that Natsu's the king," Wendy added. "He'll make a better king than you."

Natsu challenged, "You've got two choices, Acnologia. You either step down or fight."

"Oh, must this all end in violence?" Acnologia asked dramatically. "I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member. Wouldn't you agree, Natsu?"

"That's not gonna work, Uncle. I've put it behind me," Natsu denied.

Acnologia smirked, "Oh? Well, what about your faithful subjects? Have they put it behind them?"

Instantly, all of the dragons were curious to know why Natsu didn't return to Dragon Rock in the first place. Lucy asked, "Natsu, what is he talking about?"

Wendy questioned, "What did he mean by 'putting it behind us?'"

Seeing the doubtful looks on Lucy, Wendy, and the dragons' faces gave Acnologia the advantage he needed. Acnologia said delightfully, "Ah, so you haven't told them your little secret. Well, Natsu, now's your chance to tell them. Tell them who is responsible for Igneel's death!"

Lucy, Wendy, and the dragons were startled by Acnologia's last statement. They turned to Natsu, excepting an answer from him. The destruction of the Veronica Plains, the attack of the Phoenix, and Igneel's ultimate demise all led up to this moment. For too long, Natsu tried to move on and forget this terrible tragedy. But no matter how hard he tried, the memories never fade away, and the guilt in his chest never subsided. And now that Natsu's returned home, he'll finally have to confess his role in the tragedy. At last, the truth will be revealed.

There was no turning back. Remorse weighing heavily on his heart, Natsu stepped forward and took a deep breath, before finally giving an answer.

"I am."

The dragons were completely shocked at this revelation. All these years, their beloved prince led their king, his own father, to be killed? Wendy approached her older brother, her entire body shaking from the devastating tragedy as her eyes watered with tears again.

"No… No… It's not true," Wendy choked. "Please, Natsu. Tell me it's not true."

Natsu looked down sadly and said regretfully, "It's true."

"You see!" Acnologia declared. "He admits it! _Murderer!_ " Lightning crashed behind his head to emphasize his point.

Natsu pleaded, "No! Please! It was an accident!"

Acnologia circled around Natsu as he continued to accuse his nephew, "You caused the stampede at the Éclair Gorge. You brought the Phoenix to the Veronica Plains. If it weren't for you, Igneel would still be alive. It's your fault he's dead! Do you deny it?"

"No," Natsu said, weakened by his uncle's accusations.

"Then… you're… _guilty!_ " Acnologia snarled.

"No, I'm not a murderer!" Natsu cried.

Acnologia began to back Natsu along the length of Dragon Rock, with the Etherious joining him. He said, "Oh, Natsu, you're in trouble again. But this time, Daddy isn't here to save you. And now, everyone knows **WHY!** "

Natsu slipped over the edge.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted.

Then suddenly, lightning struck below, igniting a torrent of fire surrounding Dragon Rock.

* * *

Elsewhere, Happy, Romeo, Marl, and Lucky watched the scene unfold from a distance, and it was not a very pleasant sight for them.

Happy gulped, "Uh-oh. So much for talking things out…"

Romeo pointed out, "The Etherious are up there, protecting Acnologia. It's like they're his bodyguards. What are we gonna do?"

Happy assured, "Don't worry, guys. I've got a plan."

Marl said magnanimously, "How can we help?"

Lucky added, "Yeah! We want to be a part of your crazy plan! What are we, chopped liver?"

Happy grabbed Marl and Lucky by the shoulders and instructed with a smirk, "Mom, Dad, we're going to dig a trap. We're going to need tunnels. Lots and lots of tunnels."

"Dig tunnels?" Marl questioned. "How does that help?"

Happy explained, "It's a classic trap designed to bury predators down under. I learned it from the local meerkats. One of them's a friend of ours named Gray. We dig holes, make small tunnels, put support beams, and then we bust 'em like dominos to make an earthquake that'll trap the bad guys! It's 100% guaranteed to work!"

Lucky asked, "So how are we gonna do it? And how do we fit in this plan?" He added with a grin, "When you say dig, it reminds me when I used to work at the mines! Digging's my hobby!"

"I figured you'd say that," Happy smiled. "First, we gotta get those Etherious away from Natsu. Then Mom and Dad will dig the tunnels…"

Romeo interjected, "And lure them into the trap?"

Happy laughed excitedly, "You read my mind! C'mon, Romeo! Let's ride!" He then hopped on Romeo, and the two rode off with determined looks on their faces.

Marl and Lucky simply stood there with concerned looks. Marl wondered, "Is it me, or is there something different about our boy?"

Lucky raised his eyebrow, "You think?" He then shouted frantically, " **HE'S WEARING A DRESS!** " His voice echoed several times.

* * *

Natsu struggled to climb back onto the rock, and, despite his increased strength and complete stamina, he lacked the strength because of the greatest wound of all: his guilt. The fact that he was accused for Igneel's death caused Natsu to lack the motivation and the will to fight back.

Acnologia sat back and watched in amusement. He may have failed to eliminate Natsu the last time, but this time, he will finish his nephew off in front of the whole dragon herd. He rubbed his chin, "Now this looks familiar… Where have I seen this before? Let me think." Then he smirked, "Oh, yes. I remember now. This is just the way your father looked before he died."

Natsu began to slip, but Acnologia grab his claws with his, the same way he grabbed Igneel before he threw him into the Phoenix's mouth.

"And here's _my_ little secret."

He gave a bone-chilling whisper into Natsu's ear.

"I killed Igneel."

Upon hearing those words, Natsu's eyes widened in absolute shock. Those words echoed in his mind, creating a quick flashback to that fateful day. The stampede of the Wyverns, the Phoenix's attack, Igneel's fall… It completely made sense.

" **NoooooOOOOOO…** " In his memory, his younger voice seemed to blend in with his older one.

With one giant leap, Natsu lunged up and pinned a surprised Acnologia on his back. " **MURDERER!** " he roared angrily.

Acnologia was horrified and shaken that he confessed the true nature of the crime in front of his own nephew. That was the sheer way to give Natsu the strength to push himself back. For a long time, he blamed himself for Igneel's death. But now, his guilt turned into absolute rage when he realized that his uncle was the mastermind of the plot. He should've vented his anger at Acnologia all along, instead of the memories he struggled to leave behind.

"No, Natsu," Acnologia begged fearfully. "Natsu, please."

"Tell them the truth," Natsu spat at him.

"Truth?" Acnologia said incredulously. "But the truth is in the eye of the behold—"

Disgusted, Natsu pressed his claw against Acnologia's throat, choking him. One way or another, everyone at Dragon Rock must know the one who killed Igneel. The more pressure applied, the harder the choke.

Acnologia managed to breathe out, "Alright… _Alright._ " Then he said quietly and venomously, "I did it."

Natsu sneered, "So they can _hear_ you."

Hatred rose in Acnologia than he had ever felt before. Giving his answer, his voice rose to a nearly incomprehensible roar, loud enough for everyone to hear.

" **I KILLED IGNEEL!** "

Shocked and furious that it was Acnologia who murdered Igneel, not Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and the dragons bared their sharp fangs, claws, and fire breaths against the false king, determined to end his reign once and for all. A group of Etherious pounced and piled on top of Natsu, but Lucy and Wendy came to their rescue.

Lucy cried, kicking an Etherious away, "We're so proud of you, Natsu!"

Wendy breathed a gust of wind from her mouth, blowing the rest of the Etherious away. She shouted, "We believe in you! We always have!"

Natsu grinned, "What would I do without you guys?" Lucy gave a thumbs up, while Wendy giggled in reply.

The young Dragon Prince then turned to the entire herd of dragons, assembled in front of him. He declared, "My fellow dragons! Acnologia has taken over Dragon Rock, brought the Etherious to the Dragon Lands, and destroyed our home! We will fight, and we will take back what's ours! Who's with me?!"

Resounding roars of approval from the dragons erupted. Let battle commence! The dragons and the Etherious clashed in a fierce showdown for the fate of Dragon Rock. Explosions and magic erupted and flew everywhere, intensifying the mood.

In the midst of the battle, Happy and Romeo screamed a thunderous battle cry. Romeo charged his head through an advancing pack of Etherious, sending them flying in the air and making a bowling strike sound effect.

"Scuse me, pardon me, coming through, hot stuff, whoo!" Happy shouted as he got off Romeo's back, and the two made tough guy poses.

As Natsu fought off a couple of Etherious, one named Deliora jumped onto his back and bit him, causing Natsu to roar in pain. Suddenly, a staff knocked Deliora off of him. It was none other than Makarov!

Natsu cried happily, "Gramps!"

Letting out a battle cry, Makarov jumped into the fray and found himself ambushed by six Etherious. He effortlessly defeated them, making cheesy sound effects worthy of a kung-fu 'B-movie.'

Less than half of the Etherious pack was forced to retreat from Dragon Rock, overwhelmed by the dragons' tenacity and teamwork. Back at the top, Natsu was fighting off more Etherious, until he was given unexpected assistance from three young dragons: an Iron Dragon, a White Dragon, and a Shadow Dragon. With the Etherious driven away, the three dragons turned to Natsu with a smile.

"Gajeel! Sting! Rogue!" Natsu recognized.

Gajeel laughed proudly, "Well, if it isn't Natsu! The real Dragon King!"

Sting smirked, "Long time no see, cousin. It wouldn't be the same without you, you know?"

Natsu asked, "What brings you guys here?"

Rogue answered, "We came to tell you that the Etherious were retreating from Dragon Rock by the minute. Acnologia was trying to escape with them as well."

"Oh, no, he won't!" Natsu shouted with determination. "He's the one who killed my dad. I won't let him get away this time!"

Gajeel suggested, "Follow us, Natsu! We'll take you to where he is!" With that, the four dragons quickly left.

* * *

Meanwhile, Happy was flying with his wings, while being chased by three female Etherious Kyôka, Seilah, and Lamy. He flew into the King's Den, and was spotted by Erza, who was still trapped in her ribcage prison.

"Let me out, let me out!" Erza screamed frantically.

"Let me in, let me in!" Happy cried, running into the cage for safety.

Happy and Erza clung to each other in fear as Kyôka and Seilah stopped near the cage, licking their lips.

"P-P-P-Please don't eat me," Happy whimpered.

"M-M-M-M-Me too," Erza shivered.

Seilah asked Kyôka, "What should we do with these two, Kyôka?"

Kyôka answered with a smirk, "They would make nice toys for us to play with, dearest Seilah." It's as if the crimson-haired hawk and the blue Exceed were about to meet their end, until…

"Problem?" a voice asked loudly, and Kyôka and Seilah both turned to see that an angry Romeo appeared at the mouth of the cave.

Seilah glared, "Hey, who's the cat?"

Romeo narrowed his eyes, speaking like Robert de Niro, "Are you talkin' to me?"

Happy commented, "Uh-oh, they called him 'the cat.'"

"Are you talkin' to me?"

"Shouldn't have done that."

" **ARE YOU TALKIN' TO ME?!** "

"Now they're in for it."

" **THEY CALL ME… MISTER CAT!** " Romeo yelled, before he screamed and charged at Kyôka and Seilah, who looked scared. Outside the cave, Lamy was puzzled when she heard Romeo beating up Kyôka and Seilah.

"Take that, you stupid…!" Erza joined in the fight.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Kyôka screamed.

"That hurts!" Seilah shrieked.

"Take that, and that!" Happy yelled.

Kyôka and Seilah scrambled out of the cave and fled screaming, along with Lamy, as Happy, Romeo, and Erza came out of the cave, celebrating their victory. Romeo shouted proudly, "Run, you yellow belly!" Then, the three did the Arsenio Hall "Ooh, ooh!" chant.


	16. Etherious in the Hole

Thanks to the directions of his cousins Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue, Natsu escaped from the fight unscathed and began looking around for Acnologia. Soon enough, he spotted his evil uncle trying to sneak away. With a growl, Natsu chased Acnologia up Dragon Rock, but soon found his path blocked by Jackal, Ezel, Yakdoriga, and a large group of Etherious.

Natsu shouted angrily, "Hey, you! Get outta my way!"

Jackal shot back, "You'll have to get past us first! Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

"Like you?" Natsu growled, before he breathed a strong torrent of flame from his mouth at the Etherious, causing them to back away.

Ezel pointed out, "Those were the exact same words Jackal said back at the graveyard."

Natsu stated, "I'm not the same little dragon you used to know. This time, I'm finally gonna beat you slobbering, mangy, stupid Ethernano-crafted demons down to size!"

Jackal chuckled smugly, "Oh, really? What are you gonna do, Princess? It's all of us against only one of you!"

"I can do this all day!" Natsu scoffed.

Meanwhile, Happy and Romeo looked down at the Etherious from a ledge above. Romeo pointed out, "Those Etherious are at it again. Natsu needs our help."

Happy winked his eye, "No problem." He then shouted loud enough for the Etherious to hear, "Hey, Romeo! What do you call an Etherious with half a brain?"

Romeo chuckled and shook his head, "Beats me, Happy. What?" Jackal, Ezel, and Yakdoriga turned their attention to the two, listening for the punchline.

"Gifted!" Happy answered, before he and Romeo laughed out loud at their joke. "Gee, for some _smart_ guys, Etherious sure are stupid to fall for food, water, or almost anything! Like that mangy mutt over there!" Referring to Jackal, Happy did a mock howl, and he and Romeo laughed again.

Jackal and Ezel scowled at this offense, but Yakdoriga bursts out laughing anyway. In response, Ezel smacked Yakdoriga across the face. He snapped, "They're talkin' about us!"

Jackal glared menacingly at Happy and Romeo, "For your last meal, you're gonna eat those words."

Happy and Romeo just grinned and zipped away, leaving dust clouds in their own shapes that lingered for a few moments. They screamed as they run down the side of Dragon Rock, until they reached a tunnel entrance, the spot where Marl and Lucky were preparing the trap for the Etherious.

Happy called into the hole, "Mom, Dad, I think we got their attention!"

Underground, Lucky was busy digging tunnels, while Marl was carrying support beams and setting them up.

"Not yet!" Marl called back. "Keep stalling!"

" _Digga tunnah, dig, digga tunnah…_ " Lucky sang, reminiscent of his life of digging.

Back on the surface, Happy and Romeo were backed up against a rock wall, and the Etherious were cornering them.

"Okay…" Happy said in a panicked tone. He began juggling sticks and dishes, and Romeo just gestured towards him and grinned, while _Khachaturian's Sabre Dance_ plays in the background. The bewildered Etherious stopped dead in their tracks.

"You gotta be kidding me," a nonplussed Ezel muttered.

The music stopped, and Happy stood with the dishes balanced on the sticks on his nose and hands, spinning.

"Now, Mom?" Happy called, even more panicked and sweating nervously.

"Need more time, honey!" Marl called from underground.

Happy and Romeo then linked arms and danced the Cancan, grinning tensely, while _Offenbach's Cancan_ plays in the background. The Etherious were still unimpressed as the music peters out.

Desperate for another idea to stall the Etherious, Happy suggested, "Uh… freestyle!" He and Romeo then started breakdancing. Surprisingly, the Etherious laughed and applauded them.

Jackal remarked, "Ooh, encore, encore!"

Ezel corrected him, "No, no, no, you mean, 'entrée, entrée!'"

Jackal chuckled in agreement, "No, you're right. Let's just eat 'em." The Etherious then advanced on them.

Happy was at the edge of his wits. He called impatiently, "Is it ready yet, guys?"

"Not yet!" Marl told him. "Keep stalling!"

Happy nervously drummed his fingertips together, chattered his teeth, and bit his nails as the Etherious approached with sinister snicks. Getting another idea, he waved his arms in a time-out signal, stopping the Etherious. "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Time out! Hold on a second."

"Uh, Happy?" Romeo's tone turned from confused to severe. "What're you doing?"

Happy knelt down on one knee and cleared his throat. He said to Jackal, "Jacqueline Zack Victoria Ellis Jadelyn Etherious…" Jackal's expression went from sinister to surprised, and Ezel raised his eyebrows up. "Would you do me the honor of becoming… my bride?"

Romeo's jaw dropped open in shock, and the Etherious stared dumbfounded. Jackal's jaw dropped as well, before he spoke his answer, "I don't think so! And I'm not a girl, I'm a boy!" He and the rest of the Etherious started advancing on them again.

Happy nodded, "I know that. I'm just referring to your sister or your daughter, if you have any relatives. But I know what you're thinking: 'We're too different, it'll never work. What will the children look like?'" Romeo stayed frozen in place, his jaw still dropped.

Jackal replied, "Ooh, that violates so many laws of nature."

Happy backed up against the wall, "Listen to me, the problems of a couple of wacky kids like an Exceed and an Etherious don't amount to a hill of termites in this nutty circle-of-life thing." The Etherious came closer and closer, "And so I ask you: If not now, when? If not me, who?" He finished miserably, "I'm lonely."

Romeo tapped Happy's shoulder, sniffing and putting on his best face for his shattered emotions. "Can I be your best man?" he asked. Happy just furrowed his eyebrows at him in a "really?" way.

Ezel piped up, "I say we skip the wedding, and go straight to the buffet!"

Suddenly, Marl's head popped up from the hole. "Now?"

"Sure, if you're ready," Happy said nonchalantly.

Marl turned around, and saw the Etherious drawing near. "Oh!" she exclaimed, before she popped back down and turned to Lucky. "Now, Lucky! Now!" she called out.

In response, Lucky kicked one of the support beams, which fell and took out the rest in a series like dominoes. "Etherious in the hole!" he yelled.

The resulting domino effect caused a huge crack to form in the ground, heading towards the Etherious. They yelped and backed off as the crack followed them rapidly. But it suddenly stopped expanding, because the last support beam hit an embedded rock and did not fall. The Etherious stopped retreating, and gazed back at Happy and Romeo angrily.

Marl and Lucky popped out of the hole. Lucky told Happy and Romeo, "We need help! It didn't work!"

Ezel remarked, "Hey, it works for me!"

Marl and Lucky were backed up against the rock wall. Marl panicked, "What are we going to do?"

Happy was terrified at first, but then he noticed exactly where the crack ended. He steeled himself and ran headlong at Jackal, aiming between his legs.

"What?!" Jackal exclaimed in surprise.

"Happy, no!" Marl cried, and Happy dove down into the crack, narrowly dodging Jackal's claw. Losing interest, the canine Etherious pulled his hand out of the crack.

"Let's get 'em," Ezel growled.

Just as Happy dove at the last support beam, crumbling it on impact, the Etherious leaped for their victims; Marl, Lucky, and Romeo gasped and held on for dear life as lightning flashed in the sky. But just as the Etherious landed right in front of them, the ground gave out under them, followed by the whole ledge that collapsed into a huge crater. The Etherious were swallowed up whole and slid down the large tunnel, screaming until they disappeared into the darkness.

" **GET US OUTTA HERE!** " Jackal yelled.

" **Tenga Goken: Onimaru!** " Ezel transformed his arms into blades and sliced a huge part of the terrain in half, creating a hole at the end of the large tunnel. This allowed all of the Etherious to pop out back to the surface and land at the bottom of Dragon Rock.

After a few seconds of recovering, the Etherious stood up and were about to return back up. Unfortunately, they were all surrounded by the herd of dragons, glaring at them. In tow were Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, and Erza.

Sting smirked, "You've got nowhere to run, Ether-freaks. Can't go on without Acnologia helping, do ya?"

Gajeel added with a sinister chuckle, "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!" The dragons then advanced on the helpless Etherious.

Jackal sweated nervously, "And here, I thought Acnologia said that dragons and Etherious were supposed to be friends."

Ezel nodded unsurely, "Yeah. That's what I heard."

Then he and Jackal turned to Yakdoriga, "Yak?"

Yakdoriga laughed, except it wasn't his usual crazy laugh; it was a terrified laugh. He then uttered words for the first time, "Oh, crud."

" **RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIVVVVVVEEEEES!** " Jackal screamed at the top of his lungs.

Soon enough, Jackal, Ezel, Yakdoriga, and the rest of the Etherious fearfully fled Dragon Rock at breakneck speed and into the wastelands, never to suffer the wrath of the dragons ever again. The dragons erupted into cheers of victory, jumping and dancing in celebration, and proud of their victory over the Etherious.

"And stay out!" Erza shouted at the fleeing Etherious. She then turned to Lucy and Wendy, "Wendy! Lucy!"

"Erza!" Lucy and Wendy cried happily, and the two caught Erza in a group hug.

Lucy sighed in relief, "Oh, Erza. I thought we'd never see you again."

Erza smiled contently, "Me too. I never thought I'd live to see this day."

Meanwhile, Romeo, Marl, and Lucky watched the dragons' celebrating from above Dragon Rock. Romeo saw the Etherious disappearing into the horizon and said with finality, "I'd say the Etherious are down and out."

Lucky cheered triumphantly, "We did it! We did it!" Then Marl grabbed him and shook him by his chest.

"Where's Happy? Where's my baby? He's hurt!" Marl said frantically, flinging Lucky away. "Oh, no! Oh, no! He's dead!" She grabbed Romeo by his mane and pulled him down to her level, going insane. "Or worse! W-We have to find him! We've got to find him!"

At that moment, Happy emerged from the hole with his wings. "It's okay, Mom," he said, before Marl grabbed and shook him, not seeing who it was.

"Oh, please, it's not okay! Don't you tell me it's going to be okay!" Marl yelled, before realizing who was right in front of her. "Happy!" she gasped happily, and she pulled him in a big hug. "Oh, Happy... My son… the hero." She reached up to Happy's fur, which was a little bit messed up. "Oh, you missed a spot," Marl smiled, before she stopped hugging. Happy smiled back and lowered his head down, and Marl combed his fur and dusted him off.

Lucky was overcome with emotions. "That's so beautiful!" he cried as he grabbed Happy and hugged him tightly around his neck.

Happy wheezed out from lack of breath, his eyes bugging out, "Choking… Not breathing…"

Romeo smiled to himself and looked up at the very top of Dragon Rock. He thought out loud, "I wonder how Natsu's holding up?"


	17. The Circle of Life Continues

Acnologia was in a severe disadvantage. The Etherious abandoned him, the dragons reclaimed control of Dragon Rock, and now, he was left all alone. Desperate to flee, Acnologia arrived at the highest point of Dragon Rock, flying through the flames. He stopped at the edge of the rock, seeing the dragons sprawling below. He backed away from the edge and turned only to watch as Natsu leapt through the flames to confront him. With a face bent on vengeance, Natsu advanced on his uncle. Acnologia realized that he was at the mercy of the rightful king, that is, if he has any to spare.

"Murderer," Natsu said quietly, intent on paying back Acnologia the pain and suffering he caused.

"Natsu, Natsu, please," Acnologia begged. "Please have mercy. I beg you."

But Natsu didn't seem intent on granting him mercy. "You don't deserve to live."

"But, Natsu…" Acnologia tried to find an excuse for Natsu to spare him. "I… am… uh… family." He seemed unsure of his tactic, but quickly regained his composure, "Y-Y-You don't understand! It wasn't me, it was the Etherious! They are the real enemy! They were using me so that they could take over the Dragon Lands for themselves. Everybody thinks I'm the one running the show, but the truth is, the Etherious made me the puppet ruler! I was the king of Dragon Rock under their control! It's their fault— it was their idea!"

"Then why'd you try to get rid of me?" Natsu asked coldly. "Right before the stampede?"

Acnologia asked puzzled, "W-What are you talking about?"

"The Phoenix," Natsu explained harshly. "You led me and my dad to the gorge, and you brought the Phoenix to kill us. If you were family, you could've been there, trying to save us, but you didn't. Instead you abandoned us."

Acnologia protested futilely, "No, Natsu. Please… You have to believe me."

Natsu stopped in front of him, "Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me from the very beginning was a lie."

Acnologia shivered, "What are you going to do? You wouldn't kill your own uncle, would you?"

Natsu glared at his uncle for a moment. True, he wanted to destroy his father's murderer, but if he did, he would end up just like the evil dragon he was up against. "No, Acnologia. I'm not like you."

Acnologia was greatly relieved, knowing that Igneel's son wouldn't bring himself to kill him. "Oh, Natsu, think you. You are truly noble. I'll make it up to you, I promise. How can I, uh, prove myself to you? Tell me; I mean anything."

Natsu paused to let his answer sink in.

"Run."

Acnologia's eyes widened in alarm. Those were the exact same words he told Natsu after Igneel died.

"Run away, Acnologia. And never return."

"Yes… of course," Acnologia nodded. He began to leave and Natsu turned to watch him go. "As you wish…" He then spotted a pile of hot coals, before his expression turned from fearful to dark. " **Your Majesty!** "

Without warning, Acnologia swiped the coals into Natsu's face, causing him to scream in surprise and pain. As soon as the salmon dragon pawed the coals away from his eyes, Acnologia attacked, trying to bite his neck with his jaws. But Natsu knocked him off of him before he leapt at his evil uncle, who spreads his wings wide and ascended into the stormy skies. Natsu spreads his own wings and flew up to confront Acnologia, and an aerial battle again.

Both dragons then proceeded to attack, exchanging several blows, bites, and scratches, much to the awe of the spectators watching from below. Natsu breathed a huge amount of flames towards Acnologia, surrounding the Black Dragon with an explosion as the flames hit their target. Unfazed, Acnologia blew away the flames, and Natsu smashed Acnologia with **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist.**

"I recognize you as a thorn in my side, nephew," Acnologia spat. "And I shall slay you."

"That's what you think!" Natsu shot back.

And thus, the two dragons resumed their furious battle in the skies. Torrents of red and blue flames spread throughout the clouds like thunder and lightning, Natsu and Acnologia landed heavy scratches, deadly bites, and fire breaths on each other, sometimes dodging and countering blow for blow. The battle lasted for several minutes, with both dragons grievously injured. At the battle's final moments, Natsu bit and tore off Acnologia's left arm with his mouth. Enraged, Acnologia created a huge bleeding scar on the left half of Natsu's torso with his claws, causing him to fall down and collapse to the top peak of Dragon Rock.

With his bit of draining strength, Natsu looked up just in time to see Acnologia staring at his nephew with hatred in his eyes. Because his left arm had been ripped from his body, besides the injuries, his rage had reached its maximum point. He roared furiously, " **YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, SCALY BRAT!** " He gathered his energy to charge up his ultimate Dragon Roar attack, "My anger has grown for far too long! I no longer care about being king! The only thing I wish… **IS TO SEE YOU DEAD!** "

The Dragon Roar's power had increased to insurmountable levels, much to the spectators' surprise. The attack was considered powerful enough to not only wipe out Natsu, but all of Dragon Rock! Desperate, Natsu breathed in with all his might and shot a powerful fireball towards Acnologia's mouth before the Dragon Roar could fire.

The fireball directly struck Acnologia's throat, igniting the glands that it poured form. Acnologia roared in pain as fire began to consume him from the inside out, his wings and body disintegrating into ashes as a result. " **MY… MY BODY… MY BODY IS—** "

Those were the last words of the evil Dragon King, before he fell from the sky and into the ground like a falling meteor. Once he collapsed, he didn't explode in flames, but rather that of a pulse, one which was blue and vibrated into a huge shockwave that instantly extinguished the flames surrounding Dragon Rock. Natsu and the others could only watch as Acnologia's ashes fluttered in the wind, a reminder of the Black Dragon's ultimate final fate.

And here they all are, at the end of the road. Grey clouds completely seized the sky, and rain unleashed itself on the remaining specks of fire, dousing them. As the smoke cleared, the dragon herd stood in front of Dragon Rock, silently awaiting the return (and rise) of the one true king.

Natsu walked down and greeted his sister, his cousins, and Lucy, first nuzzling Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, Wendy, and then Lucy. Then he looked up and saw Makarov, who gestured for him to ascend Dragon Rock as the new king. Erza, who stood beside the wise mandrill, smiled and replied with a respectful bow, happy and relieved that Natsu has returned. Natsu walked up, but stopped in front of Makarov, who bowed. Natsu hugged him, like his father had done the day he was born. Makarov smiled and returned the hug.

"It is time," Makarov said.

Before he could ascend Dragon Rock, he turned aside to all the friends and family members that have supported him for so long. They bowed formally to him, before Wendy leapt up and hugged Natsu, then Lucy, Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, Happy, and Romeo, until they were all in a group hug.

Wendy cried with tears of joy, "Natsu…"

Lucy whispered happily, "Natsu…"

Happy sniffled, "Natsu…"

Natsu returned the hugs and whispered happily, "I couldn't have done it without you guys."

He then started to march up the promontory as the spectators watched. Once Natsu reached the top, he looked up and watched as the clouds parted slightly to reveal one bright star.

" ** _Remember…_** " Igneel's voice echoed.

Gaining the confidence, the strength, and the inspiration he needed, Natsu lets out a roar of triumph from the Dragon Rock overlook. The dragons responded to his call as their new king ascended to his throne. Happy, Romeo, Erza, Marl, and Lucky beamed happily at this sight.

Happy smiled proudly alongside Romeo, "That's our best friend."

Erza was on the verge of tears, "Young master Natsu has grown up to be a great king. I promise myself I wouldn't cry…" She then bursts into emotional sobs.

"So, what happens now?" Romeo asked.

Wendy giggled, "My big brother's probably busy. You know, with him being king and all."

"Oh, that's right. He's the king now," Happy sighed sadly. "He's gonna be so busy he'll probably forget all about his two best buddies."

Lucy smiled, "How could he ever forget? You took good care of Natsu. You stood up for him when they needed you most. Oh, and whenever you're down and out, you've got Hakuna Matata, right?"

Romeo answered unsurely, "Guess so."

Happy questioned, "Whaddaya mean, 'guess so?' What if he forgets to tell the carnivores who we are? We'll end up sticking around to be cat dinner."

Wendy interjected, "Actually, dragons don't eat cats, especially Exceeds. We're not into that sort of thing."

Lucy added, "But we do have an appetite for lions."

Romeo froze in terror hearing that statement. Happy, on the other hand, confirmed with a nod, "Oh, okay." He turned to Romeo, "So what if Natsu forgets to tell all the dragons who YOU are? One look at you, and you're a cat casserole."

Marl corrected, "That's MISTER Cat Casserole."

This does not improve the situation as Romeo was still terrified. "Same thing!" he cried. " **AND I'M NOT STICKING AROUND TO BE ANYBODY'S CAT DINNNEEEERRR!** " He turned and ran off quickly in a panic, with Happy chasing after him with his wings.

"Romeo!" Happy shouted. "Wait up!"

Lucy, Wendy, Marl, and Lucky just laughed at this expense.

Lucky grinned, "Best vacation ever!"

Marl smiled, "I'm so proud of our son, Lucky. He's all grown up."

Lucky wiped a single tear from his eye, "Aye."

"You can never forget your true buddies," Wendy stated.

Lucy agreed, "That's for sure. We can't leave the past behind us, 'cause that's what made us who we are."

Meanwhile, Makarov looked up to the sky as clouds swirled, and the image of Igneel appeared once more, shining with a burst of pure light. Makarov smiled contently, "You see, Igneel? I told you Natsu would be a king like no other." He added with a chuckle, "I bet you are very proud of the heroic dragon your son has become."

The image of Igneel responded with a smile forming around his lips. Indeed, just as Makarov said, he was proud that Natsu has taken his place in the great Circle of Life.

* * *

Chorus: **_Busa le lizwe (Rule this land)  
Busa le lizwe (Rule this land)  
Busa le lizwe (Rule this land)  
Bus-Busa ngo xolo (Rule, rule with peace)_**

 ** _Is'kathi sifi kile (The time has come)  
Is'kathi busa iyo (It's time, rule)  
Is'kathi sifi kile  
Busa lomhlaba (Rule this land)_**

 ** _Is'kathi sifi kile  
Iskathi sifi kile  
Busa Natsu! Busa Natsu! (Rule, Natsu! Rule, Natsu!)_**

As the years passed, the Dragon Lands were restored to their former glory, and the animal herds returned to their beautiful green paradise home, now that it has been freed from the Etherious. For Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and their friends and family, it was a whole new beginning. And what a beginning it was…

Once Natsu became the new king of the Dragon Lands, he took Lucy as his mate and new Dragon Queen, and gave birth to a new offspring— a new heir. Happy returned home to Extalia to the cheers and applause of his fellow Exceeds, as he was hailed as the "bravest Exceed ever known" for his role in saving the Dragon Lands. As a reward, Happy was given the hand of Queen Chagot's daughter Carla in marriage. As for Romeo, he was welcomed back home by his fellow Rainbow Lions. He was crowned the new King of the Rainbow Lions for his own role in saving the Dragon Lands. His father Macao would be very proud of him. And on top of that, he made lots of friends, too. It turns out Romeo wasn't meant to be "thick-skinned" after all!

Today, all of the animals were gathered at Dragon Rock for the ceremonial birth of Natsu and Lucy's child.

 ** _Ubuse ngo xolo (You must rule with peace)  
Ubuse ngo thando (You must rule with love)  
Ubuse ngo xolo (You must rule with peace)  
Ubuse ngo thando (You must rule with love)  
Ubuse ngo xolo (Rule with peace)_**

 ** _Ingonyama nengw' enamabala  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala  
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala_**

Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, Happy, and Romeo were standing on the edge of Dragon Rock, with Erza flying up to the point. Wendy, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue were waving to the animals, while Happy was shaking his paws in the classic victory sign.

 ** _Till we find our place  
On the path unwinding_**

Natsu and Lucy nuzzled each other, before Makarov approached, holding a baby dragon, obviously Natsu and Lucy's child.

 ** _In the Circle  
The Circle of Life_**

Makarov held up the baby dragon, presenting it to the crowd of animals. Once again, the Circle of Life continues…

 ** _The Circle of… Liiiiiffffffeeeeee_**

 **THE END**


	18. Credits and Ending Song

**Main Cast**

 _Tetsuya Kakihara/Todd Haberkorn as Natsu Dragneel  
Mako Sakurai/Luci Christian as Young Natsu  
Hidekatsu Shibata/Jim White as Igneel  
Kōsuke Toriumi/Bob Carter as Acnologia  
Aya Hirano/Cherami Leigh as Lucy Heartfilia, Layla Heartfilia  
Satomi Satō/Brittney Karbowski as Wendy Marvell  
Sayaka Ohara/Colleen Clinkenbeard as Erza Scarlet  
Rie Kugimiya/Tia Ballard as Happy  
Mariya Ise/Lindsay Seidel as Romeo Conbolt  
Shinpachi Tsuji/R. Bruce Elliot as Makarov Dreyar  
Shōko Tsuda/Pam Dougherty as Grandeeney  
Takuma Terashima/Erik Davies as Jackal  
Hiroshi Tsuchida/Liam O'Brien as Franmalth  
Tomokazu Seki/Dave Wittenberg as Yakdoriga  
Wataru Hatano/David Wald as Gajeel Redfox  
Takahiro Sakurai/Michael Jones as Sting Eucliffe  
Kenichi Suzumara/Garrett Storms as Rogue Cheney  
Ayako Kawasumi/Melanie Mason as Marl  
Tomokazu Seki/Jerry Russell as Lucky_

 _Ryōko Ono/Monica Rial as Mirajane Strauss  
Harumi Sakurai/Carrie Savage as Lisanna Strauss  
Hiroki Yasumoto/Christopher Sabat as Elfman Strauss  
Asuka Tanii/Sarah Wiedenheft as Mattan Ginger  
Kaori Nazuka/Elizabeth Maxwell as Jenny Realight  
Takashi Kondō/Aaron Dismuke as Hibiki Lates  
Fuyuka Ōura/Daniel Litwin as Eve Tearm  
Masaya Matsukaze/Christopher Wehkamp as Ren Akatsuki  
Yutaka Aoyama/Kent Williams as Jura Neekis  
Shūhei Sakaguchi/Alex Organ as Mest Gryder  
Yoshimitsu Shimoyama/Ian Sinclair as Bora  
Aki Toyosaki/Michelle Ruff as Seilah  
and Ai Kayano/Tara Platt as Kyôka_

 **Ending Song** **  
** **Can You Feel the Love Tonight?** _ **  
**_Sung by Elton John

 _There's a calm surrender to the rush of day  
When the heat of the rolling world can be turned away  
An enchanted moment, and it sees me through  
It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you_

 _And can you feel the love tonight (tonight)  
It is where we are  
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer  
That we got this far  
And can you feel the love tonight (tonight)  
How it's laid to rest  
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds  
Believe the very best_

 _There's a time for everyone if they only learn  
That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn  
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors  
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours_

 _And can you feel the love tonight (tonight)  
It is where we are  
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer  
That we got this far  
And can you feel the love tonight (tonight)  
How it's laid to rest  
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds  
Believe the very best_

 _It's enough to make kings and vagabonds  
Believe the very best_

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** _Well, that was fun! What do you think of Fairy Tail's fourth Disney Parody Series? I hope you enjoy all four stories based on Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and finally the Lion King. If you haven't seen them, I recommend reading Romeoladdin, The Little Rain Mermaid, and Beauty and the Lightning Beast first._

 _Please stay tuned for upcoming Disney Parodies in the future, like "The Black Wizard of Notre Dame" (starring Zeref as Quasimodo), "Erzahontas" (starring Erza as Pocahontas), "Yukinolan" (Yukino as Mulan), "Natsules" (Natsu as Hercules), or "Levy and Gajeel Gets Tangled" (Levy as Rapunzel and Gajeel as Flynn/Eugune). These are just ideas, so I can't help myself! Please share any suggestions!_

 _And for those waiting for Fairy Tail Pixar Parodies, my Toy Story-based story will be titled "Fairy Tail's Toy Story." Natsu will be playing the role of Woody, and Gray will be playing the role of Buzz, considering they bicker all the time until they learn how to get along and be friends._

 _Just stay tuned! Just share your ideas for my next Disney Parody, and please leave a review. This is the TheSavageMan100, signing out. And I wish you all a Happy New Year!_


End file.
